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DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 

OF 

TOWN  HOUSES 


•The  only  essential  distinction  between  decorative  and  other  art 
13  the  being  fitted  for  a  fixed  place  ;  and  in  that  place,  related, 
either  in  subordination  or  in  command,  to  the  effect  of  other  pieces 
of  art.  And  all  the  greatest  art  which  the  world  has  produced  is 
thus  fitted  for  a  place,  and  subordinated  to  a  purpose.  There  is 
ho  existing  highest-order  art  but  is  decorative.  The  best  sculpture 
yet  produced  has  been  the  decoration  of  a  temple  front — the  best 
painting,  the  decoration  of  a  room.  .  .  .  Beautiful  art  can  only  be 
produced  by  people  who  have  beautiful  things  about  them,  and 
leisure  to  look  at  them  ;  and  unless  you  provide  some  elements  of 
beauty  for  your  workmen  to  be  surrounded  by,  you  will  find  that 
no  elements  of  beauty  can  be  invented  by  them' — RUSKIN 


jVPruwinp'Room  C 


ing*  ivoom  Corner  •  r  w.edis.  f.s.a.  archt 


DECORATION  &  FURNITURE 

OF 

TOWN  HOUSES 

A  SERIES  OF  CANTOR  LECTURES  DELIVERED  BEFORE  THE 
SOCIETY  OF  ARTS,  1.880,  AMPLIFIED  AND  ENLARGED 

BY 

ROBERT  W.  EDIS,  F.S.A.  F.R.I.B.A. 

ARCHITECT 

WITH  29  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS 
AND  NUMEROUS  SKETCHES 


NEW  YORK 
SCRIBNER    AND    W E L F 0 R D 
1881 


THE  GETTY  CENTER 
LIBRARY 


PREFACE. 


When  the  Council  of  the  Society  of  Arts  did  me  the 
honour  of  asking  me  to  deliver  one  of  the  series  of 
*  Cantor  Lectures'  for  1880,  and  their  able  and  inde- 
fatigable secretary,  Mr.  H.  Trueman  Wood,  suggested 
that  I  should  make  the  subject  of  my  course,  Deco- 
ration Applied  to  Modern  Houses,  I  naturally  felt 
that  the  subject  was  a  wide  and  difficult  one  to  treat, 
inasmuch  as,  even  amongst  the  educated  professors  of 
the  arts  of  architecture  and  painting,  there  were  so 
many  opinions  at  once  diverse,  and  ofttimes  at  utter 
variance  with  each  other  ;  but  in  the  belief  that  a  series 
of  plain  practical  Lectures  on  Decoration  and  Furni- 
ture might  be  of  use  to  the  general  public,  I  accepted 
the  invitation,  with  the  full  intention  of  avoiding,  as 
far  as  possible,  the  trammels  of  any  particular  school, 
and  of  offering,  so  far  as  I  could,  some  practical  advice, 


vi 


PREFACE. 


— founded  on  the  experience  of  over  twenty  years  of 
hard  professional  work  and  study, — for  the  better 
arrangement  in  Decoration  and  Furniture  of  Modern 
Houses,  believing  that  I  should  at  least  be  given  credit 
for  honesty  of  purpose,  and  for  an  earnest  desire  to  set 
forth,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  some  practical  hints 
which  might  be  found  of  service  to  those  who  were 
anxious  to  get  rid  of  the  utter  commonplaceness  and 
vulgarity,  of  the  ordinary  decorative  treatment  of  the 
homes  they  live  in. 

In  specially  applying  my  remarks  to  Town  Houses, 
I  did  so,  rather  from  the  fact  that  those  who  live  in 
towns  are,  to  a  certain  extent,  more  dependent  on  the 
art- work  in  their  houses  for  any  pleasure  or  charm  of 
eye,  than  those  who,  living  in  the  country,  are  sur- 
rounded with  all  the  beauty  of  natural  form  and  colour 
in  ever-changing  and  varying  shape  and  shade,  as  well 
as  that  in  treating  especially  of  Town  Houses,  my 
remarks  would  to  a  large  extent  equally  well  apply  to 
country  houses. 

I  am  quite  aware  that  the  subject  of  my  lectures 
has,  in  the  last  few  years,  been  lectured  and  written 
upon  almost  ad  nauseam,  and  I  might  well  have  hesi- 


PREFACE. 


vii 


tated  before  entering  an  arena,  in  which  there  is,  and 
must  always  be,  an  immense  difference  of  opinion  as  to 
what. is  best  and  most  artistic,  for  the  decoration  and 
furnishing  of  the  houses  we  live  in,  combined  with 
comfort,  convenience,  and  moderation  of  cost. 

The  favourable  reception  of  the  1  Cantor  Lectures ' 
by  my  audiences  and  by  the  Press  generally,  encouraged 
me  in  materially  adding  to  them  ;  and  in  now  offering 
them  in  enlarged  and  illustrated  form,  to  a  larger  and 
perhaps  more  critical  audience,  the  general  public,  I  do 
so  with  the  full  knowledge  of  the  many  and  varied 
opinions  entertained  in  these  days  of  so-called  '  Art 
Revival '  on  all  art  questions,  and  more  particularly  on 
those  connected  with  the  especial  subjects  of  my  lectures; 
but  at  the  same  time  I  am  sanguine  enough  to  believe 
that  there  is  a  large  portion  of  the  public  who  desire  to 
be  better  informed  on  these  all-important  questions,  and 
who  will  give  me  credit  for  an  earnest  desire  to  lay 
before  them,  as  simply  and  as  plainly  as  possible,  some 
few  general  hints  which  I  hope  may  be  found  of  use  to 
those  who  wish  to  make  the  houses  they  live  in  not 
only  artistic  but  pleasant  and  comfortable,  without 
following  out  any  set  fashion  of  Decoration  or  Fur- 


viii 


PREFACE. 


niture,  and  without  involving  any  great  excess  in  ex- 
penditure, which,  under  the  ordinary  tenure  of  town 
houses,  they  would  be  unwilling  to  incur. 

The  object  of  my  course  of  '  Cantor  Lectures  '  was 
to  endeavour  to  lead  the  public  to  think  more  about 
the  artistic  furnishing  of  their  houses,  to  show  that  good 
art  could  be  combined  with  comfort  and  moderate 
expense,  and  that  the  better  and  more  artistic  decora- 
tion and  furniture  of  modern  houses  could  be  combined 
with  fitness,  comfort,  and  common-sense,  without  fol- 
lowing the  '  clap-trap  '  conventionalities  and  senseless 
eccentricities,  which  have  gone  out  to  the  world  under 
the  grossly  mistaken,  or  rather  misapplied,  denomina- 
tion of  '  high  art.' 

For  some  years  past  I  have  given  the  subject  of 
art  decoration  and  furniture  my  special  study,  have 
lectured  upon  it  at  different  times,  and  written  numerous 
articles  which  have  appeared  in  the  pages  of  '  The 
Week/  '  The  Queen  Newspaper,'  and  various  other 
journals,  and  in  the  following  pages  I  propose  to 
enlarge  materially  what  I  have  already  spoken  and 
written  upon  the  subject. 

In  the  illustrations  which  accompany  these  revised 


PREFACE. 


ix 


Lectures,  I  have  endeavoured  to  select  examples  of 
the  various  subjects  treated  of,  from  the  best  modern 
types ;  naturally  I  could  only  do  this  by  selecting,  from 
various  well-known  manufacturers,  examples  of  their 
best  works,  and  in  offering  them  my  cordial  thanks  for 
the  courteous  manner  in  which  they  have  permitted 
me  to  select  from  their  stocks  ;  and  to  illustrate  such 
examples  as  I  thought  might  best  exemplify  the  teach- 
ing set  forth  in  my  various  remarks,  it  must  be  dis- 
tinctly understood  that  I  have  made  no  invidious 
selection  of  firms,  but  have  accepted  the  opportunity 
offered  to  me,  without  hesitation  or  reserve,  by  those 
whose  works  I  illustrate,  of  selecting  such  examples 
only  which  I  thought  might  bear  upon  the  subjects 
specially  treated  of  in  my  Lectures,  and  which  seemed 
to  me  to  carry  out,  more  or  less,  the  spirit  of  real 
excellence  or  general  improvement  in  design  of  the 
various  accessories  and  necessaries,  in  the  Decoration 
and  Furniture  of  modern  houses. 

It  would  manifestly  have  been  egotistical  and  im- 
proper to  have  offered  a  series  of  my  own  designs, 
and  the  few  illustrations  which  bear  my  name  to  them 
as  the  designer,  are  offered  with  some  amount  of 


X 


PREFACE. 


diffidence,  and  only  as  setting  forth,  in  however  slight 
and  humble  a  manner,  the  principles  which  I  have 
throughout  the  following  pages  endeavoured  to  ad- 
vocate. 

I  would  gladly  have  omitted  them  altogether,  but 
that  they  set  forth  in  definite  shape  what  can  be  done 
to  improve  the  general  dreariness  of  an  ordinary  Town 
House,  by  a  little  thought  and  a  conscientious  regard 
for  use  and  comfort,  combined  with  artistic  design  and 
arrangement. 

In  selecting  the  works  of  different  manufacturers 
for  illustration,  I  have  spared  no  time  or  trouble  to 
obtain,  as  far  as  possible,  those  examples  which,  to  my 
mind,  combined  general  artistic  excellence  with  appro- 
priateness of  design,  form,  and  colouring,  and  moderation 
of  cost,  while  at  the  same  time  I  have  given  other 
examples  which,  combining  as  they  do  a  great  amount 
of  artistic  skill,  time,  and  labour,  with  much  elaboration 
of  design  and  treatment,  are  necessarily  more  costly. 

I  am  indebted  to  my  friend  Mr.  Maurice  B.  Adams 
for  the  exceedingly  careful  and  conscientious  manner 
in  which  these  illustrations  have  been  prepared,  and 
for  the  hearty  co-operation  and  able  assistance  he  has 


xi 


given  to  me  in  preparing  the  several  drawings,  in 
which,  whatever  be  their  general  merit  as  regards 
design,  I  feel  confident  every  care  has  been  taken  to 
reproduce,  as  faithfully  as  possible,- — aided  in  many  in- 
stances by  careful  photographs  done  by  Messrs.  Bedford, 
Lemere,  and  Co., — the  various  examples  of  Decoration 
and  Furniture  selected  by  me  for  illustration. 

ROBERT  W.  EDIS. 


14  Fitzroy  Square  : 
London^  W, 


CONTENTS. 


LECTURE  I. 

INTRODUCTORY. — DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE. 

PAGE 

Influence  of  Schools  of  Art  on  Design — Fashion  in  Decoration  and 
Furniture— Modern  Rooms — Truth,  Fitness,  and  Beauty  in  De- 
coration— Use  and  Suitability  in  Furniture — Moral  Influence — 
Artistic  Furniture  not  necessarily  costly — Types  of  Ancient  Fur- 
niture  i 


LECTURE  II. 

FLOOR,  WALL,  AND  CEILING  DECORATION. 

Mosaics  :  Tiles,  Incised  and  Inlaid  Stone,  Coloured  Cement,  Par- 
quetry— External  Wall  Decoration,  Colour,  Terra-cotta,  Tiles  and 
Marble,  Paint  ;  Internal :  Tapestry  and  Stuff  Hangings,  Wood 
Panelling,  Wall-papers — Various  Types  of  Wall  and  Ceiling  Deco- 
ration— Paint — Distemper — Stencil  Work—  Figure  Decoration    .  40 


LECTURE  III. 

FURNITURE. 


Ancient  and  Modern — General  Constructive  Furniture  :  Mantel- 
pieces, Hanging  Closets,  Wall  Cupboards,  Fireplaces,  Fenders, 
Lavatories,  Window  Seats  88 


xiv  CONTENTS. 


LECTURE  IV. 

THE  ENTRANCE-HALL,  STAIRCASE,  DINING-ROOM,  AND  LIBRARY. 

PACK 

General  Treatment — Division  of  Wall  Spaces — Examples  of  Treat- 
ment— Decoration  and  Furnishing  138 

LECTURE  V. 

THE    DRAWING-ROOM    AND    BOUDOIR,  BEDROOMS,  NURSERIES, 
AND  OFFICES. 

General  Treatment — Colouring  and  Decoration — Gilding — Lacquer- 
work — Furniture  and  Hangings  192 

LECTURE  VI. 

GENERAL  ARTICLES  OF  DOMESTIC  USE. 

Pottery — Doulton  Ware — Crockery — Porcelain — Glass — Plate — Gas- 
fittings — Sconces — Bronze,  Brass  and  Ironwork — Silver  Plate- 
Venetian  Glass — Locks — Door  Plates — Window  Blinds      .       .  239 


INDEX  287 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


A  Drawing-room  CORn£r  ♦       .    Designed  bv  Mr.  Robert  W.  Edis.  Frontispiece 

PLATE 

I.    An  Angle  Fire-place  and  Mantel-) 

PIECE  IN  'BURMANTOFTS  '  FAIENCeJ  M*  M  B'  A^MS     T°  faCe  P-  57 


II.  Wall  Papers  . 

III.  Wall  Papers  . 

IV.  Tile  Decoration    for  Wall  or 

Fire-place  . 

V.  Frieze  Decoration— Flamingoes 

VI.  Modern  Furniture,  after  Adams 
Sheraton,  and  Chippendale 

VII.  A  Drawing-room  Cabinet 

Vltt.  A  Dining-room  Sideboard  i 

IX.  A  Dining-room  Chimney-piece 

X.  A  Study  Mantel-piece  . 

XL  Shelf-cluster  for  MANtel-piece 

Xll.  Domestic  Iron  and  Brass  Work 
XIII. 


a  >»  >> 

XIV.    Domestic  Tiles  and  TIlE  Decora 

TION  


Messrs*  Jeffrey  &  Co.     .       ,  60 

„  .       .  66 

j  Designed  by  Mr,  G.  F.  Mali  its  65 

H.  S.  Marks,  R.A. 


Messrs.  Holland  <3r»  Sons 
Messrs.  Jackson  <5r»  Graham 


S4 

100 

103 
US 


Dcs  igned by  Mr.  Robert  W%  Edis  122 
>»  >>  11     •  126 


Messrs.  Longden  &  Co.  . 


\  Messrs.  Minton  &  Co. 


128 
132 
135 

154 


xvi  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLATE 

XV.  Sketch    for    a    Hall,    Modern )  Messrs.  Gillow  &  Co, 

Jacobean  j  To  face  p.  166 

XVI.  Dining-room  Furniture  and  De-) 

CORATION  \  Designed  by  Mr.  Robert  W.Edis  172 

XVII.  A  Library  Mantel-piece  .  .  ,,  ,,  190 
XVIII.    Octagon  Boudoir,  Adams  Style  Messrs.  allow  and  Co.  .      .  216 

XIX.    Bed-room  Furniture  .       .       .  Messrs.  Holland  &>  Sons       .  220 

XX.    Iron  and  Brass  Work       .       .   Mr.  Thomas  Elsley       .  .277 

( Messrs.  Josiah   Wedgwood  &> 
XXI.    Decorative  Wedgwood  Ware  .  \ 

(       sons       .       .       .  240 

XXII.    Domestic  ,,  ,,  ,,      .       .  245 

XXIII.    Domestic     Pottery,     Lambeth)  , 

l  Messrs.  Doidton  &>  Co.  .       .  2KI 

Ware  


XXIV. 

XXV.  Modern  Venetian  Glass 

XXVI.  Table  Glass 

XXVII.  Domestic  Brass  Work 

XXVIII.  Domestic  Plate  . 


»  ...  254 

The  Venice  and  Murano  Glass 
and  Mosaic  Co.  265 

„     .  266 

Mr.  Thomas  Elsley  .  .270 
Messrs.  Widdowson  6°  Veale  .  278 


THE 

DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 

OF 

TOWN  HOUSES. 


LECTURE  I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

In  the  various  suggestions  I  may  offer,  in  the  following 
course  of  Lectures,  I  am  desirous  of  putting  forth  no 
dogmatic  rules,  of  laying  down  no  stringent  laws  from 
which  there  shall  be  no  departure,  but  rather  to  offer 
some  practical  hints  to  those  who  are  seeking  to 
depart  from  the  general  commonplaceness  and  vul- 
garity of  design,  in  the  decoration  and  furniture  of 
our  modern  houses.  I  do  not  desire  to  enter  into 
any  battle  of  styles,  believing  that  true  beauty  and  art 
form  are  dependent  upon  no  particular  style — Classic, 
Gothic,  or  so-called  Queen  Anne — and  that  in  the 
houses  we  live  in,  it  is  first  of  all  essential  that  every- 
thing shall  be  as  fitting  as  possible,  and  that  extrava- 


2 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


gance  of  all  kinds,  or  so-called  '  high  art/  shall  be 
subservient  to  comfort,  truth  of  construction,  utility,  and 
general  convenience. 

In  addressing  an  audience  representing  the  more 
educated  portion  of  the  public,  I  am  most  anxious  to 
impress  upon  you  the  desirability  of  having  everything 
about  you  beautiful  in  itself,  and  fitting  for  its  special 
purpose,  and  that,  however  commonplace  the  object, 
it  shall  be  good  in  form,  design,  and  colour,  and  that 
the  present  craving,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  after  artistic 
work  in  decoration  and  furniture,  shall  not  degenerate 
into  any  set  fashion  of  form  or  colouring,  which,  under 
the  clap-trap  denomination  of  ' high  art,'  is  utterly  false 
and  unreal. 

You  do  not,  I  presume,  want  to  make  show  places 
of  your  homes,  in  which  the  fashion  of  an  hour  shall 
be  exemplified,  in  the  various  monotonous  dreariness 
of  sage  greens  and  peacock  blues  in  papering,  or  in 
quaint  eccentricities  of  design  and  form  in  furniture 
and  which,  in  a  few  short  years,  will  be  looked  upon  as 
crude  and  tasteless. 

In  this  country,  where  the  love  of  home  life  and  its 
teachings  of  domestic  comfort  and  peace  especially 
pertain,  all  questions  of  decoration  and  furniture  must 
necessarily  be  more  or  less  influenced  by  these  condi- 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


3 


tions,  and  we  cannot  expect  in  an  age,  in  which  there 
are  so  many  causes  to  influence  opinion,  to  obtain  any 
special  unity  of  taste,  or  to  have  that  strong  harmonious 
feeling,  which  brought  about  the  great  schools  of 
religious  painting  in  the  Middle  Ages. 

It  is  the  fashion  amongst  a  certain  class  of  artists  of 
the  present  day  to  decry  all  modern  art,  and  to  seek 
for  ancient  examples,  Greek,  Roman,  Mediaeval,  or 
Oriental,  on  which  to  found  their  ideas  of  decorative 
art  in  the  present  day  ;  but  I  cannot  but  think  this 
arises  from  a  feeling  of  shame  at  their  own  incompetence, 
and  a  desire  to  slur  over  their  own  ignorance,  by  feeble 
attempts  to  copy  the  art  of  other  countries. 

The  work  that  we  have  to  do  to-day,  is  '  not  to  be 
content/  as  Lord  Aberdeen  says,  1  with  the  timid  and 
servile  hand  of  the  copyist,  but  with  a  due  regard  to 
the  changes  of  customs  and  manners,  to  the  difference 
of  climate,  and  the  conditions  of  modern  society,'  to 
adapt  the  art  work  in  our  houses,  so  that  it  be  beautiful, 
fitting,  and  suitable. 

Thanks  to  the  great  progress  made  in  the  chief  arts 
of  architecture  and  painting  in  the  last  quarter  of  a 
century,  to  the  general  advantage  of  technical  education 
throughout  the  country,  by  the  establishment  of  the 
Government  School  of  Design  at  South  Kensington, 

B  2 


4 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


with  its  numerous  metropolitan  and  provincial  branches, 
and  to  the  great  number  of  loan  collections  at  home 
and  abroad,  there  has  been  increased  opportunity  of 
studying  art  of  all  kinds,  and  more  especially  of  those 
offshoots  of  architectural  arts  which  are  known  gener- 
ally under  the  name  of  '  decorative  arts.' 

The  various  exhibitions  in  this  country,  and  on  the 
Continent,  in  the  last  few  years,  have  exercised  an 
immense  influence  on  the  taste,  not  only  of  the  public, 
but  of  the  workmen  in  all  the  crafts  of  British  industry, 
more  especially  associated  with  the  industrial  art  of  the 
country  ;  the  innumerable  beautiful  examples  of  ancient 
art  productions  of  all  countries,  and  the  mass  of  publica- 
tions illustrating  them>  have  set  us  all  to  think  more  of 
the  things  of  every-day  life  in  our  homes,  and  by  their 
teaching,  have  gradually  imbued  all  classes  with  a 
desire  and  love  for  beautiful  form  and  colour,  and  a 
distaste  for  the  crude  vulgarities  and  hideous  forms, 
with  which  we  have  been  for  so  lon^  content. 

Too  much  praise  cannot  be  given  to  the  Society  of 
Arts,  for  the  conscientious  way  in  which  they  have  for 
long  years  steadily  sought,  by  all  the  means  in  their 
power,  to  foster  and  encourage  the  cause  of  art  and 
science,  and  from  their  exertions  and  initiative,  have 
sprung  up  most  of  the  schools  of  practical  art-teaching 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


5 


throughout  the  country  ;  and  it  is  but  fair  to  remember 
that  this  Society,  soon  after  its  foundation  in  1754,  set 
itself  to  promote  the  more  intelligent  study  of  science 
and  art,  by  offering  prizes  in  the  classes,  of  what  were 
then  called  '  polite  arts,'  of  painting,  drawing,  and 
sculpture,  and,  even  at  this  period,  offered  further 
prizes  for  the  arts  applied  to  industry,  in  patterns  for 
weavers,  calico  printers,  and  furniture  ;  by  which,  as 
evinced  in  the  reports  of  the  Society,  much  real  good 
was  obtained,  and  a  manifest  improvement  in  design. 
As  the  Royal  Academy  and  other  kindred  societies  in- 
creased in  power,  the  arts  of  painting  and  sculpture 
became  more  under  their  especial  management  and 
control,  until  in  1843,  when  the  late  Prince  Consort — 
whose  never-flagging  endeavours  to  improve  the  do- 
mestic arts  of  this  country  must  always  earn  for  him 
a  lasting  gratitude — became  President  of  the  Society 
and  through  his  advice  and  influence,  the  society  took 
up  the  especial  work  of  developing  the  application  of  the 
Fine  Arts  to  manufactures  ;  and  the  outcome  of  these 
efforts  was  to  produce  the  1851  Exhibition,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  conjointly  brought  about  the  establishment 
of  the  earlier  schools  of  design,  from  which  sprang  the 
present  great  school  at  South  Kensington,  and  the 
present  system  of  Government  art  education. 


6 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


In  praising  the  present  schools,  I  must  take  excep- 
tion to  some  of  their  teaching.  I  cannot  see  why  it  is 
necessary  to  make  students  work  continually  upon 
designs  of  repeated  geometrical  forms — in  which  there 
is  an  absence  of  all  true  artistic  feeling — which  are 
called  ornamental,  or  to  strive  after,  what  has  been 
justly  called,  '  a  mere  photographic  correctness  in  the 
studies,  both  from  the  flat  and  from  the  round/  in  which 
there  is  no  beauty  or  life,  and  which  tends  to  engender 
a  stiffness  and  conventionality  of  treatment  in  all  after- 
work.  All  this  is  machinery  work  of  the  hand,  and 
loses  all  trace  of  human  mind  or  thought ;  for  if 
art  work  is  worth  anything  at  all,  it  must  be,  not  in  the 
production  of  slavish  repetition  of  some  set  pattern,  but 
in  the  skilful  and  artistic  rendering  of  ornament,  in 
which,  while  it  may  be  necessary  to  keep  up  a  certain 
line  of  decorative  treatment,  there  shall  be  no  everlast- 
ing sameness  and  repetition  of  drawing  or  colouring  ; 
the  same  line  of  scroll  work  may  be  treated  with  some 
diversity  of  colouring  and  drawing,  and  yet  be  as  har- 
monious in  tone  and  general  effect,  as  the  same  work 
continued  with  exact  repetition  of  form  and  shade. 

I  do  not  here  advocate  the  teaching  of  some  of  our 
eccentric  school  of  artists,  if  I  may  call  them  so,  who 
hold  that  no  line  or  shade  shall  be  repeated,  or  that  we 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


7 


shall  make  our  walls  '  studies  '  in  any  particular  shades 
of  colouring. 

Unfortunately,  it  would  seem  that,  to  a  great  extent, 
the  present  opportunities  have  not  brought  real  life 
or  real  pleasure  with  them,  but  have  worked  out  a 
fashion — a  painted  pretence  and  sham — worse  even 
than  the  fashion  of  dress  ;  and  the  decorative  arts  seem 
likely  to  depend  rather  on  luxury  and  fashion  than  on 
any  real  love  of  art.    Hence  has  arisen  a  race  of  so- 
called  decorators,  who,  working  with  little  knowledge 
and  less  love,  are,  under  the  name  of  '  art  decoration,' 
creating  a  fashion  of  design  and  furniture,  which  is 
worse  even  than  that  of  the  dead  days  of  the  earlier 
part  of  the  present  century,  when  people  were  content 
to  see  around  them  the  ugliest  forms,  the  meanest  de- 
signs, and  the  dreariest  of  colours.    We  must  have  care 
that  so-called  '  art  decoration  '  does  not  degenerate  into 
the  feeble  prettinesses  of  ignorant  designers,  into  the 
fashion  of  so-called  '  art  papers,'  or  the  flimsiness  of 
furniture,  imitated  or  copied  from  Japanese  or  EaJtern 
examples,  and  having  no  element  of  real  culture  or  im- 
aginative power  of  mind,  associated  with  skilful  and 
loving  work  of  hand  and  eye.    Without  doubt  there  is, 
on  the  part  of  the  educated  classes,  a  desire  to  have  in 
every-day  life,  and  in  the  houses  they  live  in,  furniture 


8 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


and  decoration  which  shall  have  some  real  feeling  for 
truth  of  construction,  beauty  of  form,  and  general  har- 
mony of  colour.  But  if  we  are  to  have  decoration,  let 
it  be  of  the  best  kind  ;  if  we  must  imitate,  let  us  seek 
for  the  best  examples  ;  and,  above  all,  if  we  are  able  to 
afford  figure  decoration  of  any  kind  in  our  rooms,  let  it 
be  of  the  best  type,  well  drawn,  treated  as  flat  decora- 
tion, not  as  easel  pictures,  and  not  based  on  quaint  and 
angular  models,  dressed  up  in  varied  anachronism  of 
ancient  dress.  The  houses  we  live  in  are,  after  all, 
the  main  teaching  of  our  lives  ;  and  I  am  confident 
that  no  amount  of  outside  teaching  can  help  forward 
the  love  of  beauty  and  truth,  in  form  and  in  colour,  so 
much  as  the  proper  and  decent  arrangement  of  the 
rooms  and  belongings  which  are  continually  before  us. 

While,  for  years  past,  there  has  been  a  revival  in 
all  work,  specially  pertaining  to  ecclesiastical  decoration 
and  furniture,  the  subject  of  house  decoration,  until 
quite  recently,  has  been  signally  uncared  for.  It  is  un- 
fortunate that  we  cannot  be  content  to  study  the  art 
work  of  other  nations,  without  seeking  to  plagiarise 
from  it,  or  to  adapt  its  form  and  colour  in  our  own 
manufactures  and  designs.  Nothing  can  be  more 
beautiful  in  itself  than  the  art  work  of  India,  China, 
and  Japan,  whether  applied  to  textile  fabrics,  carved 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


9 


or  painted  wood  work,  pottery  or  porcelain,  gold  and 
silver,  or  lacquer  work  ;  but  nothing  can  be  more  atro- 
cious than  the  imitations  with  which  we  are  nowadays 
inundated. 

Nothing  can  be  worse  than  art  at  second-hand, 
more  especially  when  the  associations  and  feelings  of 
the  two  sets  of  workers,  the  original  and  the  imitators, 
are  totally  different.  In  the  study  of  all  Oriental  art 
we  can  gain  infinite  knowledge  of  skill  and  grace  of 
design  and  workmanship,  and  power  and  beauty  of 
drawing  and  colouring,  but  the  art-workers  of  this 
country  are  no  more  able  to  imitate  these  attributes, 
which  we  admire  so  much,  than  they  can  fly;  and  when 
we  hear  of  rooms  decorated  with  imitation  Chinese 
bamboo  work,  and  tinted  sealing-wax  red  and  gold, 
with  splashes  of  blue  and  green,  in  imitation  of  Japanese 
lacquer,  we  can  only  regret  that  the  time  and  money 
thus  wasted,  in  fruitless  endeavour  to  obtain  what  at 
its  best  must  be  but  a  bad  imitation,  should  not  be  ap- 
plied to  decoration  and  drawing  more  in  keeping  with 
our  own  associations  and  surroundings.  We  may  re- 
ceive a  higher  and  better  influence  in  decorative  taste 
by  studying  the  art-work  of  Oriental  nations,  but  we 
can  never  attain  to  any  true  artistic  character  of  work, 
by  slavishly  copying  the  design  and  colouring  of  artists, 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


who  worked  under  totally  different  associations  and 
traditions. 

It  was  lamentable  to  notice  in  the  Indian  collection, 
at  the  last  Paris  Exhibition,  the  numerous  examples  of 
mongrel  work,  the  result,  as  Dr.  Birdwood,  in  his  valu- 
able handbook  on  the  Indian  section  says  truly,  'of 
the  influences  on  Indian  art,  of  English  society,  mis- 
sionary schools,  schools  of  art,  and  international 
exhibitions,  and,  above  all,  of  the  irresistible  energy 
of  the  mechanical  productions  of  Manchester  and 
Birmingham,  and  Paris  and  Vienna.'  This  was 
especially  noticeable  in  the  Prince  of  Wales's 
collection,  in  the  way  in  which  the  native  chiefs  and 
princes,  '  in  many  instances,  despising  their  own  arts, 
had  literal  copies  executed  in  solid  silver '  of  the  latest 
Birmingham  imitations  of  Indian  pattern  tea-pots, 
paper  weights,  and  centre  pieces. 

Indian  rugs  and  shawls  have  noticeably  degenerated 
through  the  same  bad  influences  ;  Cashmere  shawls  are 
no  longer  the  exquisite  productions  of  the  spontaneous 
art  feeling  of  the  Indian  workman,  but  are  based  upon 
the  '  improved  shawl  patterns  '  which  French  importers 
have  laid  before  them.  The  design  and  colouring  of 
the  rugs  and  carpets  which  are  now  sent  over  have 
been  materially  damaged  by  the  Government  practice 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


of  making  the  prisoners  in  their  Indian  jails  enter  upon 
the  lucrative  trade  of  carpet  making,  and  thus,  to  a 
great  extent,  extinguishing  the  caste  weavers,  with  whom 
has  perished,  let  us  hope  not  for  ever,  the  local  tradi- 
tions of  their  art.  The  carpets  thus  made  are  poor  in 
quality,  compared  with  the  old  examples,  and  the  colours 
and  patterns  are  crude  and  bad. 

To  quote  Dr.  Birdwood  again  : — 

'  Of  late  years  the  shop-windows  of  Regent  Street 
and  Oxford  Street  have  been  filled  with  electrotype 
reproductions  of  Burmese,  Cashmere,  Lucknow,  Cutch, 
and  Madras  silver  and  gold  work,  along  with  Man- 
chester, Coventry,  and  Paisley  imitations  of  Indian 
chintzes,  kincobs,  and  shawls.  This  is  simply  to  de- 
prave and  debase  English  manufactures  and  English 
taste.  No  people  have  a  truer  feeling  for  art  than 
English  men  and  women  of  all  classes,  or  purer  ele- 
ments of  a  national  decorative  style  and  methods  ;  and 
the  right  and  fruitful  use  of  looking  at  superb  examples 
of  Indian  jewellery,  tapestries,  and  pottery,  is  not  to 
make  literal  copies  of  them,  but  to  kindle  the  sense  of 
wonder  and  imagination  in  us  to  nobler  achievements 
in  our  indigenous  and  industrial  arts.' 

It  is  impossible  to  slavishly  copy  the  distinct  and 
indigenous  varieties  of  Oriental  decorative  arts,  with 


12 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


any  satisfaction  in  the  decorative  work  of  this  country  ; 
although  it  is  quite  possible  to  learn  much  from  their 
exquisite  design  and  treatment,  and  to  use  and  adapt 
(as  I  shall  hereafter  describe)  some  of  their  work  in  the 
decoration  and  ornamentation  of  our  own  homes. 

If  a  man  may  be  judged  by  the  friends  he  has, 
surely  much  more  so  may  his  artistic  culture  and  love 
of  beauty  be  arrived  at,  by  the  nature  of  the  things 
with  which  he  surrounds  himself  in  his  home. 

It  is  unfortunately  true  that  in  many  houses  we 
still  find  decoration  and  furniture  in  which  there  is  no 
element  of  beauty,  in  which  costliness  and  vulgarity 
seem  to  run  together,  while  some  of  the  modern 
teachers  run  into  eccentricity  and  grotesqueness  of 
design  and  colouring,  forgetting  that  in  art,  as  in  every- 
day life,  eccentricities,  either  of  design  or  colouring,  are 
to  be  avoided  ;  and  that,  as  in  the  well-dressed  woman 
of  our  acquaintance,  so  in  all  art  decoration,  we  should 
be  able  to  see  general  harmony  and  simplicity  of  effect, 
in  which  there  shall  be  no  glaring  patterns  or  colours. 

The  fittings,  hangings,  and  general  furniture  of  a 
room  should  not  only  be  fitting  and  suitable  for  their 
various  uses,  but  in  harmony  with  the  general  decora- 
tion of  the  walls,  and  this  decoration  should  depend 
not  upon  any  fashion  or  style,  but  on  the  general 


OF   TOWN  HOUSES.  13 

appreciation  and  adoption  of  colour  and  beauty  of 
form,  and  withal  ensuring  a  home-like  feeling,  made 
more  beautiful  and  interesting  by  the  imaginative  taste 
and  daily  art  education  of  those  who  live  in  our  homes. 

Depend  upon  it,  the  decoration  of  our  houses  is 
not  a  mere  thing  of  fashion,  but  a  constant  recurring 
pleasure,  and  beyond  all  this,  to  a  great  extent,  the 
absolute  art  education  of  all,  who  dwell  within  or  visit 
us  in  our  homes. 

Since  the  latter  days  of  the  Renaissance,  when 
the  decadence  and  fall  of  all  real  art  practically  set  in, 
there  have  been  sundry  fashions  in  architecture,  paint- 
ing, and  decoration,  which  have  had  a  short  and  fitful 
life,  giving  way,  like  all  fashions,  which  are  grounded 
on  no  love  or  real  feeling,  to  the  caprice  and  taste  of 
the  last  new  comer.  From  the  end  of  the  sixteenth 
century  we  have  gone  through  many  phases — from 
Classic  to  Gothic,  and  from  Gothic  to  Queen  Anne. 
We  had  for  a  long  period  an  affectation  of  a  classic 
taste,  when  the  decoration  of  Pompeii  was  imitated  ad 
nauseam,  but  without  understanding  or  knowledge  of 
the  principles  of  the  art ;  the  walls  were  overladen  with 
heavy  colouring  and  gilding  ;  and  in  furniture,  comfort 
and  utility  were  sacrificed  to  classic  forms.  To  quote 
a  late  writer  on   art  in  the  '  Quarterly  Review '  : 


14 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


*  Furniture,  fire-irons,  teapots,  and  the  various  objects 
of  daily  domestic  use,  made  after  the  manner  of  the 
ancients,  could  scarcely  be  turned  to  their  legitimate 
purposes,  however  well  adapted  they  may  have  been 
to  the  sacrifices  and  ceremonies  of  a  Greek  or  Roman 
temple.  Chairs  and  sofas  strictly  made  upon  the  model 
of  the  sella  curulis  and  the  bronze  biselliimi,  might 
have  been  comfortable  in  the  Forum,  but  were  exe- 
crable in  the  drawing-room.  We  were  at  last  fairly 
driven  out  of  the  Classic  mood.  We  could  neither  eat, 
drink,  nor  sit  in  comfort.' 

Then  came  the  Gothic  revival,  and  in  furniture  we 
exchanged  the  curule  chair  for  the  '  narrow  seat  and 
the  knobby  back,'  not  more  comfortable  or  pleasant  to 
our  persons  than  the  ancient  '  sedilia  ' ;  nor  can  much 
be  said  for  the  carved  cabinets,  ponderous  sideboards, 
and  imitation  mediaeval  furniture,  constructed,  of  course, 
'  on  unexceptionable  authority  after  the  true  fashion  of 
our  ancestors.'  And  now  has  set  in  a  fashion,  dedicated 
to  her  most  sacred  Majesty,  Queen  Anne,  a  fashion 
which  has  developed  much  of  really  good  art  character, 
and  which,  after  all,  properly  applied,  is  really  bringing 
us  back  to  old  English  work.  Amongst  the  more 
educated  professors  of  the  style,  we  find  at  present 
many  pretty  conceits,  which  are  not  worthy  of  the 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


15 


name  of  art ;  but  we  also  find  good  construction  and 
carefulness  of  design,  which  we  may  hail  as  forerun- 
ners of  better  times,  and  more  artistic  work.  It  is  but 
fair  to  say  that  to  Messrs.  Street,  R.A.,  Norman 
Shaw,  R.A.,  Waterhouse,  A.R.A.,  E.  W.  Godwin, 
W.  Burges,  P.  Webb,  and  other  architects,  and 
to  Messrs.  Morris  and  Co.,  Messrs.  Crace,  Messrs. 
Gillow,  Messrs.  Jackson  and  Graham,  Messrs.  Jeffrey, 
and  other  well-known  firms,  much  praise  is  due  for 
their  efforts  in  the  cause  of  artistic  design  in  decorative 
hangings  and  furniture. 

I  do  not  intend  to  treat  my  subject  from  any  point 
of  view,  in  which  money  is  no  object,  but  to  endeavour 
to  show  that  good  artistic  work  may  be  done  as  reason- 
ably as  bad  work,  and  that  beauty  of  form,  colour,  and 
design,  may  be  as  economically  applied  to  house  decora- 
tion, and  furniture,  and  with  infinitely  more  satisfaction, 
than  the  vulgar  hangings  and  commonplace  furniture 
to  which  we  have  for  so  many  years  been  accustomed. 

In  these  days  of  luxury  and  artistic  proclivities, 
large  sums  of  money  are  spent  upon  internal  decoration 
and  furniture,  without  much  idea  of  taste  or  common 
sense  ;  money  is  frittered  away  in  pretentious  extrava- 
gance, in  the  shape  of  gaudy  decoration,  or  elaborately 
carved  and  inlaid  furniture,  and  hangings,  of  most 


[6 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


expensive  character,  which  have  little  or  no  real  claim 
to  be  called  artistic  or  beautiful ;  a  profusion  of  elaborate 
ornament  is  recklessly  thrown  upon  the  walls  and  ceil- 
ings, without  knowledge  and  without  taste.  In  olden 
days,  good  art  did  not  mean  prodigality  of  colouring, 
and  endless  covering  of  wall  or  ceiling  space,  with 
pattern  work  in  various  colours,  but  was  made,  as  a 
rule,  consistent  with  the  requirements  and  associations 
of  the  period,  whether  in  domestic  or  religious  life. 

Nowadays  we  are  too  apt  to  be  content  to  accept 
the  dogmas  of  a  particular  school  as  correct  and  infal- 
lible, and  to  forget  that  the  true  art  decoration  of 
houses  is  not  to  be  made  up  of  fashionable  wall  papers, 
or  furniture,  made  after  a  particular  pattern,  but  is 
dependent  upon  the  smaller  surroundings  and  articles 
of  daily  use.  Nor  is  extravagance  of  cost  necessary 
for  the  fitting  up  of  our  houses  ;  for  I  hold  that  furniture 
of  thoroughly  good  art  design,  comfortable  in  shape, 
and  good  in  workmanship,  may  be  made  without  any 
extravagant  outlay,  and  that  plain  polished  or  painted 
deal  furniture,  of  really  good  design,  is  better  than  all 
the  elaboration  of  Chippendale  fretwork  or  Queen 
Anne  ornamentation.  The  pretentious  imitation  of 
old  work  in  furniture  is  in  every  way  to  be  condemned  ; 
and  I  cannot  but  quote  here  the  words  of  the  late 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


17 


M.  Viollet  le  Due,  who,  in  his  '  Mobilier  Francaise,' 
says,  speaking  of  modern  work  generally  : — 

'  Amongst  all  these  cheap  splendours  of  false  taste 
and  false  luxury,  we  are  delighted  when  we  find  a  seat 
really  well  made,  a  good  oak  table  thoroughly  strong 
on  its  legs,  woollen  curtains  which  really  look  like 
wool,  a  comfortable  and  solid  chair,  a  cupboard  which 
opens  and  shuts  well,  showing  us  inside  and  out  the 
wood  it  is  really  made  of,  and  the  object  for  which  it 
is  intended  ;  let  us  hope  for  a  return  to  those  healthy 
ideas,  and  that  in  the  making  of  furniture,  as  in  every- 
thing else,  we  may  come  to  understand  that  true  taste 
consists  in  appearing  that  which  one  is,  and  not  that 
which  one  would  wish  to  be.' 

I  can  conceive  nothing  more  terrible  than  to  be 
doomed  to  spend  one's  life  in  a  house  furnished  after 
the  fashion  of  twenty  years  ago.  Dull  monotonous 
walls,  on  wmich  garish  flock  papers,  of  the  vulgarest 
possible  design,  stare  one  blankly  in  the  face,  with 
patches  here  and  there  of  accumulated  dirt  and  dust,  or 
the  even  worse  monstrosities  of  imitation  moirde  silk, 
with  bunches  of  gilt  flowers  tied  up  in  gilt  ribbons, 
and  running  in  symmetrical  lines,  all  carefully  sized, 
like  soldiers  on  parade.  Of  course,  if  the  flock  paper 
be  red,  we  had  red  curtains  hung  on  to  a  gigantic  pole, 

c 


IS 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


like  the  mast  of  a  ship,  blossoming  out  at  the  ends 
into  bunches  of  flowers,  or  turned  finials,  like  enor- 
mous hyacinthe  bulbs  in  water.  Of  course  the  curtains 
trailed  some  feet  on  the  floor,  and,  when  not  taken  pos- 
session of  by  the  pet  dog  or  cat,  became  the  receptacle 
for  dust  and  dirt,  or  the  hiding  place  of  the  remains  of 
some  pets  dinner.  The  chairs  were  covered  with  red 
stuff  of  some  kind  ;  the  table  had  a  red  cloth,  printed 
all  over  with  elegant  designs  of  flowers  in  black,  in 
impossible  positions  ;  the  carpet  also  was  probably  of 
some  gaudy  colour  and  pattern,  covering  the  whole 
room  with  a  sprawling  pattern  of  gigantic  flowers  ;  the 
furniture,  of  the  stiffest  possible  kind,  rows  of  chairs, 
seemingly  propped  up  against  the  wall  in  straight  lines 
not  to  task  over  much  the  bandy-curved  legs  which 
bore  them,  the  so-called  '  shaped  '  backs  cut  cross-grain 
of  the  wood  so  as  to  snap  sharp  off  with  any  extra 
weight ;  an  enormous  glass  over  the  miserably  ugly 
mantelpiece,  in  a  still  more  enormous  gold  frame,  with 
bits  of  cast  plaster  ornament,  also  gilt,  stuck  on  like 
bats  and  rats  on  a  barn  door,  and,  like  them,  showing 
signs  of  decay  and  decomposition  ;  a  so-called  side- 
board, with  a  drawer  in  the  middle,  a  cupboard  on  each 
side,  and  another  enormous  glass  overhead.  In  the 
drawing-room,  we  had  the  same  kind  of  monotony, 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


19 


only,  perhaps,  in  a  different  colour ;  a  green  carpet, 
with  peaceful  lilies  intertwining  with  each  other;  a 
hearthrug,  with  a  Bengal  tiger  ill  at  ease,  with  his  back 
to  the  fire,  and  his  face  to  the  lilies  ;  and  a  footstool, 
covered  with  Berlin  wool,  representing  the  pet  dog  of 
the  period,  very  much  astonished  at  his  proximity  to 
the  aforesaid  tiger  ;  green  curtains,  with  a  Greek  fret 
or  honeysuckle  border  in  yellow  or  gold  ;  a  gigantic 
valance,  with  deep  fringe  worked   into  knots  over 
turned  wood  beads  ;  furniture,  covered  with  work  of 
crude  colours,  marriage  offerings  to  our  fathers  and 
mothers ;  chairs  so  lightly  constructed  that  you  could 
never  be  safe  upon  them  ;  couches  that  you  could  not 
lie  comfortably  upon  ;  tables  with  legs  twisted  and 
turned  into  impossible  shapes  ;  occasional  chairs,  which 
were  well  named,  that  they  would  never  stand  for  the 
purposes  they  were  intended,  except  very  occasionally 
indeed  ;  and  the  whole  arrangements  of  the  room  stiff, 
formal,  and  uninviting  ;  the  worsted  work  and  the  silk 
or  rep  covering,  tied  up,  as  a  rule,  in  dingy  linen  covers, 
and  a  general  air  of  discomfort  and  unsociability  ;  who 
can  wonder  that  people  lived  but  little  in  their  drawing- 
rooms  !   If  there  was  a  bit  of  colour  on  the  walls,  nine 
times  out  of  ten  it  was  of  the  tea-tray  character,  a 

brilliant  illumination  of  Vesuvius,  as  it  would  probably 

c  2 


2C 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


appear  at  a  pantomine,  and  not  in  reality  ;  a  few  family 
portraits,  whose  particular  merits  were  spoilt  by  the 
painting,  and  everything  miserable  and  unartistic  ;  so 
that  when  you  got  up  the  staircase,  with  its  walls  made 
cold  and  dingy  by  blocks  of  imitation  marble,  if  one 
had  any  taste  at  all,  the  very  appearance  and  tone  of 
the  room  almost  cowed  one  into  silence,  or  froze  one 
into  mere  commonplaceness.  This  is  no  exaggera- 
tion ;  there  are  still  hundreds  of  rooms,  in  which  this 
utter  want  of  taste  prevails  ;  but,  thanks  to  the 
increased  demand  for  artistic  design  of  late  years  in 
almost  everything,  there  is  evinced  on  the  part  of  the 
better  class  of  manufacturers  of  the  various  articles  of 
domestic  use,  a  desire  to  provide  a  class  of  goods  of 
fair  artistic  design  and  of  fairly  good  taste  in  form 
and  colour. 

'  Vexatio  dat  intellectuml  and  it  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  any  true  knowledge  of  decoration,  and  real 
feeling  for  things  artistic,  can  be  obtained  all  at  once  : 
it  is  only  by  a  constant  study  of  nature,  and  of  the  really 
beautiful  things  of  art,  that  the  eye  becomes  educated 
to  understand  and  appreciate  beauty  of  form,  outline, 
and  colour.  Foremost  in  the  very  rudiments  of  real 
art,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  absolute  truth  must 
be  the  foundation  of  all  good  work,  that  all  ornament 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


21 


should  consist  of  the  enrichment  of  the  real  construc- 
tion of  the  building,  that  this  should  in  itself  be  beauti- 
ful, and  that  decoration  itself  should  not  be  constructed 
for  mere  purposes  of  show  and  effect,  and  should  pos- 
sess in  itself  fitness,  proportion,  and  harmony  of  design 
and  colouring. 

Speaking  of  our  houses,  the  late  Mr.  Owen  Jones, 
in  his  1  Grammar  of  Ornament,'  truly  says  :  '  Archi- 
tecture is  the  material  expansion  of  the  wants,  the 
faculties,  and  the  sentiments  of  the  age  in  which  it  is 
created,'  and  '  the  decorative  arts  should  possess  fitness, 
proportion,  and  harmony,'  so  as  to  bring  about  that 
proper  and  necessary  '  repose  which  the  mind  feels 
when  the  eye,  the  intellect,  and  the  affections  are 
satisfied.' 

If  we  examine  any  of  the  best  work  of  past  ages, 
either  in  textile  fabrics,  furniture,  or  decoration,  we 
shall  see  that  truth  and  fitness  in  design  and  construc- 
tion, and  harmony  in  colour  and  arrangement,  are  care- 
fully carried  out ;  that  there  is  no  sham  or  imitation, 
but,  so  far  as  practicable,  the  work  is  essentially  real 
and  true.  To  carry  into  our  houses  the  shadow  of 
unreality,  by  graining  or  marbling  in  imitation  of  the 
real  materials,  by  giving  to  cast  iron  the  semblance  of 
wrought,  by  putting  up  papers  painted  to  represent 


22 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


various  woods,  tiles,  or  marble,  is  simply  teaching  a  lie, 
and  asserting  in  the  worst  possible  taste  the  semblance 
of  a  truth  which  does  not  exist ;  and  when  the  best 
graining  or  marbling  in  the  world  is  done,  it  is  but  a 
miserable  satire  on  the  real  material.  All  striving  after 
imitation  and  unreality  is  utterly  at  variance  with  good 
taste  in  decoration,  as  in  life.  I  do  not  wish  to  enter 
into  the  moral  aspect  of  the  matter,  but  the  words  from 
the  chapter  on  '  Moral  Influences  of  the  Dwelling,'  in 
the  '  Recreations  of  a  Country  Parson/  seem  here  sin- 
gularly appropriate.  Speaking  of  our  homes,  the  author 
of  this  charming  little  book  says  : — 

'  I  think  it  is  now  coming  to  be  acknowledged  by 
most  rational  beings  that  houses  ought  to  be  pretty  as 
well  as  healthy  ;  and  that  houses,  even  of  the  humblest 
class,  may  be  pretty  as  well  as  healthy.  By  the 
Creator's  wise  arrangement,  beauty  and  art  go  to- 
gether ;  the  prettiest  house  will  be  the  healthiest,  most 
convenient,  and  most  comfortable.  And  I  am  per- 
suaded that  great  moral  results  follow  from  people's 
houses  being  pretty  as  well  as  healthy.  ...  It  makes 
an  educated  man  domestic  ;  it  makes  him  a  lover  of 
neatness  and  accuracy ;  it  makes  him  gentle  and  ami- 
able (I  mean  in  all  but  very  extreme  cases),  to  give 
him  a  pretty  home.  .  .  .  Taste  costs  nothing.    If  you 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


23 


have  a  given  quantity  of  building  materials  to  arrange 
in  order,  it  is  just  as  easy,  and  just  as  cheap,  to  arrange 
them  in  a  tasteful  and  graceful  order  of  collocation,  as 
in  a  tasteless,  irritating,  offensive,  and  disgusting  one. 
,  .  .  And  in  this  aesthetic  age,  when  there  is  a  general 
demand  for  greater  beauty  in  all  physical  appliances  ; 
when  we  are  getting  rid  of  the  vile  old  willow  pattern ; 
when  bedroom  crockery  must  be  of  graceful  form  and 
embellishment ;  when  grates  and  fenders,  chairs  and 
couches,  window  curtains  and  carpets,  oilcloth  for  lobby 
floors  and  paper  for  covering  walls,  must  all  be  designed 
in  conformity  with  the  dictates  of  an  elevated  taste,  it 
is  not  too  much  to  hope  that  the  day  will  come  when 
every  human  dwelling  that  shall  be  built  shall  be  so 
built  and  so  placed  that  it  shall  form  a  picture  pleasant 
to  all  men  to  look  at.' 

I  am  quite  sure  that  all  things  that  show  what  they 
really  are,  and  do  not  pretend  to  be  something  else,  are 
in  the  end  best  and  cheapest.  It  may  be  said  that 
within  the  last  few  years,  the  public  have  had  little  or  no 
chance  of  getting  rid  of  vulgar  designs  in  wall  hangings, 
curtains,  carpets,  and  furniture,  and  that,  if  they  wanted 
to  obtain  better  work,  the  cost  of  purchasing  real  Indian 
or  Persian  rugs,  or  of  having  furniture  designed,  was 
utterly  beyond  their  means ;  and  with  every  desire  to 


24 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


see  better  work  in  their  houses,  the  knowledge  and 
taste  of  the  manufacturers  of  the  various  objects  were  so 
limited  that  they  were  content  to  keep  to  the  old  pat- 
terns, or  to  put  forth  others  which  were  equally  vulgar 
and  commonplace.  For  long  years  we  have  been  con- 
tent to  have  the  furniture  and  fittings  of  our  houses  un- 
artistic  and  commonplace,  and,  as  Mr.  Eastlakesays  in 
his  very  useful  and  well-written  book  on  4  Household 
Taste,'  this  commonplaceness  'pervaded  and  vitiated 
the  judgment  by  which  we  were  accustomed  to  select 
and  approve  the  objects  of  every-day  use  in  our  houses. 
It  crossed  our  path  in  the  Brussels  carpet  of  our  draw- 
ing-rooms ;  it  was  about  our  beds  in  the  shape  of  gaudy 
chintz  ;  it  compelled  us  to  rest  on  chairs  and  sit  at 
tables  which  were  designed  in  accordance  with  the 
worst  principles  of  construction,  and  invested  them 
with  shapes  confessedly  unpicturesque.  It  sent  us 
metal  work  from  Birmingham  which  was  as  vulgar  in 
form  as  it  was  flimsy  in  execution.  It  decorated  the 
finest  modern  porcelain  with  the  most  objectionable 
character  of  ornament.  It  lined  our  walls  with  silly 
representations  of  vegetable  life,  or  with  a  mass  of  un- 
interesting diaper.  It  bade  us,  in  short,  furnish  our 
houses  after  the  same  fashion  as  we  dress  ourselves, 
and  that  is  with  no  more  sense  of  beauty  than  if  art 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


25 


were  a  dead  letter.'  This  utter  want  of  taste  and 
general  love  of  meretricious  and  vulgar  show  ramified 
through  everything,  from  the  art  of  architecture  to  the 
meanest  object  of  every-day  use.  What  wonder,  then, 
that  there  was  little  appreciation  of  art  or  taste,  or  any 
refinement  of  culture  or  feeling,  and  that,  while  in  other 
countries,  art-manufactures  of  all  kinds  were  infinitely 
superior,  our  own  productions  were  utterly  thrown  into 
the  shade,  and  art  in  domestic  life  was  almost  a  thing 
unknown ! 

In  decoration  and  furniture  the  great  aim  of  the 
designer  should  be  simplicity  and  appropriateness  of 
form  and  design,  with  harmony  of  colour  ;  and  to  show 
that  the  cheapest  and  commonest  things  need  not  be 
ugly,  and  that  truth  in  art  and  design  need  not  of  neces- 
sity involve  costliness  and  lavish  expenditure.  Fitness 
and  absolute  truth  are  essential  to  all  real  art,  for  be  it 
remembered  that  '  design  is  not  the  offspring  of  idle 
fancy  ;  it  is  the  studied  result  of  accumulative  observa- 
tions and  delightful  habit ; '  and  by  a  careful  regard  to 
this  we  may  make  our  homes  and  habitations,  if  not 
absolutely  shrines  of  beauty  and  good  taste,  at  least 
pleasant  places  where  the  educated  eye  may  look 
around,  without  being  shocked  and  offended  by  some 
vulgarity  and  gaudy  commonplaceness. 


26 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


It  fell  to  my  lot  to  have  to  review  very  many  of 
the  exhibits  in  the  last  Paris  Exhibition  of  trades 
specially  cognate  to  art,  and  I  consequently  had  to 
examine  more  closely  than  I  otherwise  should  have 
done  into  the  various  articles  of  every-day  use,  as  to 
their  design,  workmanship,  and  cost  ;  and  I  am  bound 
to  say  that,  although  there  was  much  that  showed 
enormous  progress  in  art  design  and  skilled  workman- 
ship, I  found  little  or  nothing  which,  to  my  mind,  in 
any  way  solved  the  all-important  problem  of  providing 
really  good  and  artistic  furniture  at  a  moderate  cost,  so 
that  it  might  be  within  the  reach  of  all  classes  of  the 
community.  There  is  no  real  reason  why  painted 
and  varnished  deal  or  other  soft  wood  furniture 
should  not  be  made  at  a  cost  within  the  means  of  all. 
Pitch  pine  or  even  simple  yellow  deal,  varnished  or 
polished  or  painted,  is  capable  of  being  worked  into 
buffets,  cabinets,  wardrobes,  and  innumerable  other 
articles  of  furniture,  if  properly  and  simply  treated, 
without  carving,  or  elaborate  fretwork  cutting,  or 
moulding. 

The  difficulty  nowadays  seems  to  be  in  designing 
furniture  for  ordinary  use  in  simple  and  appropriate 
form,  strong  and  serviceable,  good  in  outline  and  make, 
but  free  from  unnecessary  and  incongruous  elaboration 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


27 


and  multiplicity  of  ornamentation,  which  is  as  useless 
as  it  is  expensive. 

Of  what  use  or  beauty  are  bookcases  plastered  over 
with  miniature  Gothic  buttresses,  or  finished  with 
elaborately  pierced  cornices  and  moulded  finials  ?  or 
wardrobes  with  panels  filled  in  with  expensive  carving 
or  fretwork  patterns,  which  are  not  only  utterly  out  of 
place,  but,  under  all  conditions  and  circumstances, 
objectionable  as  resting-places  for  dirt  and  dust  ? 
All  such  articles  of  furniture  should  be  designed  for 
use,  not  show  :  the  bookcases  as  strong  simple  frame- 
work for  the  storage  of  bocks  ;  wardrobes  well  made 
and  fitted  with  carefully  arranged  nests  of  shelves 
and  drawers,  close  fitting  and  dust  proof;  cabinets 
strongly  made  and  designed  to  show  off,  to  the  best 
advantage,  the  things  they  are  intended  to  contain, 
not  massive  with  bad  ornament  and  carving,  or 
practically  useless  with  minute  niches,  circular-shaped 
ends,  or  senseless  rows  of  tiny  balustrading. 

It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  in  many  cases  a 
few  pounds  will  provide  strong  and  serviceable  accommo- 
dation of  much  more  real  use  and  higher  artistic  cha- 
racter than  is  now  provided  for  at  six  or  seven  times 
the  amount. 

Messrs.  Morris  and  Co.  have  designed  an  excellent 


28 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


arm-chair  in  stained  wood,  comfortable,  and  artistic, 
although,  perhaps,  somewhat  rough  in  make,  for  gs.  gd.  ; 
and  I  have  seen  buffets  and  bookcases  made  in 
deal  at  the  cost  of  a  few  pounds  which  look  well,  and 
answer  all  the  purposes  for  which  they  are  required. 

I  have  given  a  slight  sketch  of  this  chair  to  show 
its  general  character  and  form.    Whatever  may  be 


thought  of  its  artistic  merit,  it  is  certainly  comfortable 
for  use,  pleasant  to  look  at,  and  cheap  in  price  ;  it  is 
strongly  made  of  birch  wood  stained  black,  with  rush 
bottom  and  strong  arms,  and  is  to  my  mind  fitted  for 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


29 


almost  any  room  :  it  can  be  made  more  comfortable 
perhaps  with  a  stuffed  loose  seat  at  a  cost  of  a  few 
shillings  a  chair. 

This  and  the  simple  bedroom  chair  without  arms 
are  both  cheap  and  serviceable. 

There  are  innumerable  examples  of  cotton  and 


chintz  of  excellent  colouring  and  pattern  which  can  be 
bought  for  a  few  shillings  a  yard,  and  well  designed 
and  drawn  papers  at  a  mere  nominal  cost,  compared 
with  the  expensive  French  imitation  silk  and  gold 
examples  of  a  few  years  back,  and  plain  painted 
furniture  of  good  form  and  appropriate  design  and 


JO 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


arrangement,  which  can  be  obtained  from  almost  any 
really  good  upholsterer,  in  place  of  the  more  elaborate 
polished  mahogany  erections  with  which  we  have  so 
long  been  familiar. 

Good  Oriental  rugs  can  be  purchased  for  small 
sums,  and,  in  combination  with  painted  or  stained  floors 
or  India  matting  bordering,  can  be  made  to  cover  the 
floor  spaces  of  our  rooms  quite  as  inexpensively  as  a 
Brussels  or  Wilton  carpet  laid  all  over  the  room. 

For  more  than  a  hundred  years,  the  fashion  of 
furniture,  like  that  of  the  master  art  of  architecture,  has 
been  continually  changing,  and  from  time  to  time  we 
have  had  works  which  have  either  been  adapted  or 
imitated  from  ancient  Greek  or  Roman  examples,  or 
in  later  years  have  based  their  form  and  shape  on 
mediaeval  specimens,  degenerating,  as  a  rule,  into 
vulgar  and  meretricious  commonplaceness,  in  which 
seeming  quaintness,  stiff  angularities,  and  eccentric  and 
uncomfortable  cuttings  and  projections,  did  duty  for  the 
more  elaborate,  although  equally  uncomfortable,  finish- 
ing of  the  real  work.  The  age  of  Batty  Langley 
produced  furniture  as  false  and  meretricious  in  taste  as 
the  rooms  it  was  designed  to  fill.  The  later  rococo 
period  of  pscudo-\K.?X\2Xs.  work,  in  which  compo  was 
made  to  do  duty  for  real  stone,  and  whole  rows  of 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


3i 


houses  were  erected  in  the  most  approved  forms  of 
vulgar  commonplaceness,  brought  back  the  vulgarity 
and  senseless  imitation  of  the  worst  period  of  French 
upholstery.  In  still  later  days  arose  the  fashion  of  so- 
called  mediaeval  furniture  made  to  fall  in  with  the 
revival  of  Gothic  architecture,  but  based  on  no  real 
knowledge  of  the  actual  specimens  of  the  furniture  of 
the  Middle  Ages,  which,  with  all  its  elaborateness  and 
richness  of  design  and  materials,  and  all  its  gorgeous- 
ness  of  colouring,  would  be  no  more  suited  to  the 
domestic  life  and  habits  of  the  nineteenth  century  than 
the  cramped  and  ill-arranged  smaller  houses  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  as  shown  by  the  examples  still  remaining 
to  us,  would  be  suited  to  the  wants  and  requirements 
of  present  times.  If  not  an  age  of  luxury,  the  nine- 
teenth century  is  essentially  one  of  comfort ;  and  the 
tile-pavements,  with  sweet-scented  straw  or  heath 
strewn  upon  them,  the  divans  and  wall  benches,  the 
ingeniously  carved,  but  withal  uncomfortable,  chairs 
and  tables,  the  walls  hung  with  rich  carpets  or  tapestry, 
are  totally  unsuited  to  modern  wants  and  ways  of 
living. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  the  work  of  the  uphol- 
sterers in  England  was  much  influenced  by  the  designs 
of  Chippendale,  Sheraton,  Adams,  and  Pergolesi ;  and 


32 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


in  these  we  find,  as  a  rule,  general  utility  and  comfort, 
combined  with  skill  and  delicacy  in  design  and  excel- 
lency of  workmanship. 

So  far,  the  present  fashion  of  architecture  has 
caused  us  to  hark  back  to  the  work  of  these  designers  ; 
and  in  much  of  the  furniture  of  the  present  day  their 
influence  is  clearly  shown. 

In  furniture,  as  in  almost  everything  else  in  the 
last  two  centuries,  there  have  been  frequent  changes  of 
fashion,  depending  rather  upon  the  caprices  than  the 
absolute  necessities  of  society.  In  early  days,  when  our 
ancestors  were  compelled  to  hold  their  own  by  force  of 
arms,  to  shut  themselves  up  in  strongly  built  and 
fortified  castles,  and  were  of  necessity  compelled  to 
be  ready  to  flee  from  the  successful  raids  of  hostile 
forces,  the  principal  furniture  consisted  of  chests  ;  and 
many  a  massive  iron-bound  box  which,  although  made 
to  defy  all  attempts  to  open,  must  yet,  in  the  days  when 
carriages  were  of  the  clumsiest  character,  have  been 
somewhat  hard  to  move.  After  these  days,  to  quote 
M.  Jacquemart  : — 

'By  degrees,  as  public  security  increased,  and  society, 
growing  more  condensed,  found  support  in  its  legal 
organisation,  ease  began  to  develop  itself,  and  with  it 
luxury — that  innate  want  of  intelligent  races,  who  require 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


33 


the  satisfaction  of  the  eye  in  proportion  to  the  enlight- 
enment of  the  mind.  Strictly  speaking,  therefore,  it  was 
not  until  after  the  strifes  of  the  Middle  Ages  that 
furniture,  such  as  we  understand  it  in  our  day,  could 
have  existed  ;  that  is,  an  assemblage  of  objects  placed 
in  the  principal  divisions  of  habitation,  to  satisfy  the 
different  requirements,  and  present  at  the  same  time 
an  agreeable,  elegant,  and  even  splendid  appearance.' 

It  is  curious  to  notice  how  much  furniture,  like 
architecture,  speaks  in  plain  language  the  history  of  a 
country  ;  and  as  nations  increased  in  wealth  and  civili- 
sation, the  luxury  and  gorgeousness  of  their  furniture 
increased  ;  while  the  design  and  form  of  many  of  the 
pieces,  to  a  great  extent,  marked  the  customs  and  forms 
of  the  particular  people.  The  '  triclinium '  of  three 
seats  of  the  Romans  marked  the  late  Oriental  fashion 
of  reclining  at  meals.  The  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans, 
moreover,  divided  their  household  furniture  into  various 
heads  :  first,  the  articles  devoted  to  domestic  religious 
sacrifices  ;  secondly,  the  ornaments  worn  on  solemn 
festivals  by  the  women,  who  in  those  days  were  placed 
immediately  after  the  gods  ;  and  then,  in  rotation,  the 
sacred  robes  and  military  armour  of  the  men,  the  looms 
and  spinning  wheels,  cooking  utensils,  and  the  various 
services  of  plate  or  porcelain,  which  were,  even  as  now, 

D 


34 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


divided  into  those  for  general  use,  and  those  for  grand 
occasions.  The  chairs  used  by  the  Greeks  were  elegant 
in  form  and  graceful  in  design,  and  of  materials  varying 
in  costliness  according  to  the  means  of  the  owner  ;  in 
the  examples  shown  on  ancient  gems  and  bassi-relievi, 
we  see  the  straight-backed  chairs  or  thrones  of  their 
gods,  all  more  or  less  like  the  high-backed  chairs  of  the 
Elizabethan  period. 

I  must  be  forgiven  if,  as  an  architect,  I  regret  that 
in  these  days  the  designing  of  furniture  is,  as  a  rule, 
handed  over  to  the  upholsterer,  and  that  the  houses 
we  build  are  ofttimes  filled  with  articles  incongruous 
in  design,  bad  in  taste,  and  often  utterly  commonplace 
and  uncomfortable.  This  criticism  does  not  apply  to 
some  of  our  principal  manufacturers,  who  have  striven 
to  lead  the  public  into  more  artistic  thoughts,  and  have 
provided  for  them  work  which  is  at  once  good  in  design 
and  treatment,  graceful  and  pleasant  in  form,  and 
finished  in  the  highest  possible  way,  both  as  regards 
artistic  character  and  skill  of  handicraft.  But  these 
gentlemen,  like  other  artists,  have  a  cloud  of  imitators, 
whose  works  are  set  forth  as  of  '  old  English,'  '  Queen 
Anne,'  or  some  other  special  and  equally  applicable 
period  or  fashion,  and  which,  while  aiming  to  be  cheap, 
are  equally  commonplace  and  nasty,  and  are  filled  with 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


35 


carvings  of  the  most  execrable  character,  or  with  some 
miserable  painted  daub,  bad  in  drawing  and  in  colour, 
which  is  made  to  do  duty  as  a  panel,  and  is  set  forth 
as  high  art  ;  and  from  its  gaudiness — or,  if  you  like  it 
better,  eccentricity  of  design — commends  itself  to  those 
whose  taste  is  not  of  the  highest  kind,  but  whose 
ambition  to  possess  gaudy  finery  and  something  to 
show  off,  is  great  and  insatiable. 

We,  architects,  are  ofttimes  most  unfairly  blamed 
for  work  in  which  we  have  had  no  hand,  and  are  held 
unjustly  liable  for  the  scamping  work  and,  to  my  mind, 
criminal  faults  of  bad  work  and  still  worse  materials,  of 
the  ordinary  speculative  builder,  which  no  existing  laws 
or  Building  Acts  seem  capable  of  preventing.  We  may 
be  guilty  of  many  sins  of  omission  and  commission, 
but  we  are  not  to  be  blamed,  as  a  rule,  for  the  general 
tasteless  fitting  up  of  the  houses  we  build,  or  for  the 
glaring  anachronisms  of  taste  in  the  decoration  and 
furniture  of  the  rooms  we  design. 

The  various  discoveries  of  the  paintings  on  the  walls 
of  buildings  at  Thebes  and  neighbouring  districts,  and 
at  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum,  give  us  a  very  fair  idea 
of  the  furniture  of  ancient  Egypt  and  Italy.  The 
Egyptians  undoubtedly  had  handsome  inlaid  seats  of 
various  kinds,  made  of  ebony  and  other  rare  woods,  and 

D  2 


36 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


often  covered  with  rich  stuffs,  sometimes  with  leather, 
fancifully  decorated.  The  legs  were  carved  into  the 
semblance  of  those  of  animals,  and  sometimes  would 
seem  to  be  solid  and  painted  with  figures  of  captives, 
indicating  a  degrading  position.  The  pillows  would 
seem  to  have  been  of  wood  hollowed  for  the  head  ; 
the  tables  were  of  all  forms,  generally  circular,  as  being 
more  social  and  comfortable ;  and,  so  far  as  we  can  as- 
certain, the  furniture  of  ancient  Egypt  was  more  or  less 
like  that  of  the  present  day,  while  modern  Egypt  is 
content  to  have  an  Oriental  form  of  arrangement,  in 
which  low  divans  and  mats  form  the  principal  items. 

In  the  sixteenth  century,  furniture  practically  be- 
came more  solid  and  less  moveable,  and  from  this 
period  dates  the  designing  and  making  of  elaborate 
inlaid  and  carvecl  furniture  of  every  description,  until, 
in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.,  was  inaugurated,  so  to 
speak,  an  age  of  pomp  and  luxurious  magnificence  in 
all  articles  of  furniture  and  decoration,  gradually  lead- 
ing, as  all  such  work,  as  a  rule,  leads,  to  the  whimsical 
extravagance  and  ugliness  of  form,  and  to  the  costliness 
of  metal  chasing  and  elaborately  gilt  bronze  decora- 
tion, known  generally  under  the  name  of  its  inventor, 
'  Buhl,'  in  which,  while  we  cannot  but  admire  the  ex- 
quisite workmanship  and,  in  many  instances,  beautiful 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


57 


and  spirited  conception  and  design,  there  is  little  of 
real  use  or  homelike  character.  In  later  days,  we  see 
a  return  to  the  purer  work  of  the  Renaissance  age, 
simplicity  and  delicacy  in  design  and  ornament ;  and, 
in  the  seventeenth  century,  panels  of  porcelain  of 
Oriental  design  and  make  were  largely  employed,  until, 
under  Louis  XVI.,  the  beautiful  porcelain  plaques  of 
Sevres  were  substituted  for  Oriental  panels,  and  the 
delicate  colouring  and  graceful  painting  of  these,  in- 
termingled with  exquisite  veneerings  of  various  coloured 
woods,  and  the  finely  wrought  bronze  work,  beauteously 
chased  and  gilt,  worked  out  with  great  beauty  of  design 
and  general  harmony  of  treatment,  all  tended  to  create 
a  purer  and  better  taste  in  the  design  and  character 
of  furniture.  About  this  time  too  were  made  many 
of  the  marquetry  cabinets,  in  which  various  woods 
were  skilfully  inlaid  in  endless  designs  and  shapes. 
All  this  kind  of  furniture  had  in  its  particular  style 
great  beauty  and  charm,  but  it  was  eminently  costly  ; 
and,  as  a  rule,  all  modern  imitations  lose,  from 
want  of  skill  of  handicraft,  and  power  of  decorative 
design  and  treatment,  all  character,  and  are,  like  the 
mediaeval  examples  of  Wardour  Street,  things  to  be 
avoided  rather  than  encouraged  or  sought  after. 

I  have  thus  briefly  sketched  out  the  history  of 


33 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


furniture,  with  no  idea  of  suggesting  its  influence  upon 
our  modern  work,  in  which  different  necessities  and 
different  habits  require  different  treatment ;  and,  in  my 
future  lectures,  I  propose  to  offer  suggestions  for  the 
economical  treatment  of  decoration  and  furniture,  and 
the  adaptation  of  both  to  modern  necessities,  rather 
than  to  discuss  with  what  elaborateness  and  gorgeous- 
ness  decoration  can  be  carried  out,  where  money  is  no 
object. 

I  shall  be  satisfied  if  in  the  course  of  the  following 
lectures  I  may  set  any  of  you  thinking  more  about  the 
art  decoration  and  furnishing  of  your  homes  than  you 
have  done  hitherto,  and  if  I  can  show  you  that  good 
art  is  not  necessarily  costly,  nor  a  mere  fashionable 
plaything,  but  something  which,  rightly  carried  out  in 
every-day  life,  leads  to  higher,  nobler,  and  better 
thoughts. 

It  has  been  well  written  that — 

'  The  law  of  development  under  which  nature  per- 
fects her  types  should  also  be  the  law  of  art,  and  the 
error  into  which  revivalists  fall  is  that  of  going  back- 
wards in  the  order  of  creation  instead  of  forwards. 
The  one  broad  line  of  distinction  between  Classicists 
and  Gothicists  would  seem  to  be  that  the  former  seek 
abstract  beauty,  an  ideal  and  perfected  type,  while  the 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


39 


latter  seize  upon  accident,  character,  and  eccentricity. 
The  remedy  lies  in  the  more  intelligent  study  of 
nature.' 

The  present  revival  in  good  hands  is  working  back 
to  truth  of  construction,  boldness  of  composition  and 
treatment,  and  strength  and  grace  of  drawing.  Thus 
may  we  hope  that  styles  small  and  puerile  will  give 
place  to  manners  great  and  manly,  and  that  our  English 
art  in  decoration  and  furniture  may  eventually  return 
to  those  days  in  which  truth  and  study  of  nature,  com- 
bined with  knowledge  of  use  and  suitability,  were  the 
chief  attributes  of  all  good  and  pure  design.  And  now 
that  the  Government  is  dealing  in  a  measure  with  the 
art  educotion  of  the  people,  and  the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil  in  drawing,  design,  and  colouring  is  being 
largely  disseminated,  let  us  hope  that  the  fine  arts,  as 
applied  to  the  internal  decoration  of  our  homes,  as  well 
as  to  architecture,  sculpture,  and  painting,  may  be  felt 
as  the  higher  intellectual  agents  in  fostering  and  pro- 
moting the  well-being  of  man. 


4o 


LECTURE  II. 

FLOOR,  WALL,  AND  CEILING  DECORATION. 

In  this  second  lecture,  I  purpose  to  treat  generally  of 
floor,  wall,  and  ceiling  decoration,  and  to  offer  various 
suggestions  for  the  treatment  of  the  floor  and  wall 
surfaces.  As,  however,  I  am  more  especially  adapting 
my  remarks  to  town  houses,  it  will  be  necessary  to  re- 
member that,  as  a  rule,  the  light  in  the  rooms  of  ordinary 
town  houses  is  only  practically  obtained  from  one  end 
of  the  room,  and  as  this  in  the  back  rooms  is  generally 
more  or  less  obstructed  by  surrounding  buildings,  that 
it  is  therefore  desirable  that  the  general  tone  of  colour- 
ing and  decoration  should  be  bright  and  cheerful,  so 
as  to  neutralise,  as  much  as  possible,  the  prevailing 
gloom.  In  new  houses,  there  will  be  little  or  no 
difficulty  in  arranging  for  any  kind  of  floor,  wall,  or 
ceiling  decoration  that  you  may  wish  to  use,  or  think 
most  suitable  to  the  character  of  the  house.  In  exist- 
ing houses  there  are,  of  course,  many  difficulties  to 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE  OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  41 


contend  with,  if  you  in  any  way  wish  materially  to  alter 
the  design  and  character  of  your  flooring,  by  the  use 
of  marble,  mosaic,  or  tile  paving,  or  to  alter  in  any  way 
the  existing  ceilings  of  the  various  rooms,  except  by 
mere  flat  decorative  treatment  of  the  original  plaster 
work. 

The  cutting  away  of  the  generally  bad  plaster  en- 
richments, so  as  to  render  the  whole  ceiling  space  fit- 
ting for  the  superimposing  of  more  suitable  decoration 
in  the  way  of  designed  canvas  plaster  ornamentation, 
or  plaster  or  wood  panelling,  must  necessarily  be 
somewhat  costly.  Much  may,  however,  be  done, 
by  careful  and  slight  tinting  in  paint  or  distemper, 
and  by  the  general  arrangement  of  stencil  decoration, 
to  make  the  existing  ceilings  more  artistic  and  in 
character  with  the  decoration  of  the  walls. 

In  most  town  houses  the  floors  of  the  halls  and 
inner  hall  are  of  stone,  and  any  cutting  away  of  this, 
for  the  purpose  of  laying  over  it  any  kind  of  marble 
or  tile  pavement,  must  necessarily  be  troublesome  and 
costly.  The  stonework  itself,  if  kept  clean  and  white, 
will  form  a  very  good  border  for  simple  Persian  or 
Indian  rugs.  Although  I  am  no  advocate  for  painting 
stonework  as  a  rule,  I  think  it  will  be  found  desirable 
to  paint  all  stone  margins  of  halls  and  staircases  in 


+2 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


some  warm  colour  to  save  the  continual  labour  of 
cleaning  and  whitening  them  ;  for  if  thus  plainly 
treated  they  will  necessarily  show  dirt  and  damp, 
much  more  readily  than  painted  work.  Oilcloth  and 
linoleum  are  generally  unsatisfactory ;  the  painted 
pattern  of  the  one  soon  becomes  unsightly,  while 
the  general  tone  of  the  latter  used  in  plain  colours  is 
unpleasant,  the  pattern  work  being  liable  to  wear  out 
in  a  few  years,  and,  as  in  oilcloth,  to  present  an  untidy 
and  unsatisfactory  appearance.  It  will  be  found,  there- 
fore, much  better  to  paint  the  stone  margins  with  a 
soft  tone  of  warm  brown  or  other  good  wearing  colour, 
and  to  cover  the  centre  spaces  with  thick  felt  drug- 
get or  good  Indian  or  Persian  rugs,  all  of  which 
can  be  obtained  at  a  very  moderate  cost,  may  be 
cheerful  in  colour  and  pleasant  to  the  feet,  are  readily 
taken  up  and  shaken,  and  tend  to  make  the  usual 
dismal  entrance  of  a  town  house  look  warm  and 
comfortable. 

An  inexpensive  way  of  adding  to  the  artistic  effect 
of  the  old  stone  paving,  is  to  incise  in  it  one  or  two 
lines  as  a  border,  the  lines  being  of  an  unequal  thick- 
ness, and  then  filled  in  with  coloured  cements,  or 
narrow  tile  slips.  The  process  adopted  by  Baron 
Triqueti,  in  the  work  executed  by  him  at  Windsor,  for 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


43 


Her  Majesty  the  Queen,  and  called  1  Tarsia  de  Marbre/ 
consisted  of  cutting  or  hatching  numerous  lines  into 
the  marble  slab,  and  filling  them  in  with  coloured 
cements,  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  the  well-known 
pavement  in  the  Cathedral  at  Sienna  ;  but  the  process 
is  not  one  to  be  commended,  and  the  result  is,  from 
an  artistic  point  of  view,  when  applied  to  figure 
decoration  for  wall  surfaces,  anything  but  satisfactory. 
I  see  no  reason,  however,  why  the  inlaying  of  stone 
with  coloured  cements  or  marble  or  tile  slips,  should 
not  be  more  generally  adopted  for  the  pavements  of 
halls  and  conservatories.  Another  simple  and  inex- 
pensive way  of  treating  the  old  stone  paving  is  to 
form  a  large  square  or  diagonal  diaper  pattern  all  over 
it,  by  means  of  slightly  incised  lines,  and  inserting  at 
the  junction  of  the  lines  small  red  or  black  tiles,  so  as 
to  form  a  distinct  pattern.  All  this  kind  of  work  can 
be  done  very  inexpensively,  and,  to  my  mind,  com- 
mends itself  to  those  who  are  anxious  to  avoid  the 
everlasting  monotony  of  linoleum  or  oilcloth,  which 
soon  lose  their  brilliancy,  and  want  renewing  in  a 
few  years. 

Stone  pavement  thus  treated  must  not,  however, 
be  painted,  but  cleaned  and  hearth-stoned  or  pipe- 
clayed daily,  the  marble  or  tile  centres  being  washed 


44 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


with  plain  soap  and  water.  Take,  for  instance,  the 
ordinary  outer  hall  floor  of  a  town  house,  which  may 
be,  say,  1 2  feet  long  by  6  feet  broad  :  I  would  suggest 
that,  instead  of  covering  this  with  linoleum  or  oilcloth, 
you  should  sink  a  mat  space  next  the  front  door  of 
sufficient  size  to  admit  of  a  good-sized  serviceable  mat, 
and  form  the  rest  of  the  floor  into  a  pattern  by  incising 
it  round  the  outside  with  a  plain  simple  bordering — 
the  pattern  may  be  elaborated  according  to  the  means 
of  the  owner — with  narrow  lines  from  \  to  \\  inch  wide, 
and  filling  these  in  with  coloured  cements  or  plain  red 
and  buff  tile  slips,  which  can  readily  be  procured  at 
any  of  the  well-known  tile  manufacturers,  and  cover- 
ing the  centre  space  with  a  good  rug  or  mat ;  or  the 
whole  may  be  cut  into  a  geometrical  pattern. 

A  more  expensive  way  of  improving  the  old  stone 
paving  is  by  cutting  a  space,  say  1 2  inches  wide,  as  a 
border  all  round,  and  filling  it  in  with  grey,  red,  and 
black  marble  slips,  or  with  a  pattern  border  of  marble 
mosaic,  or  tile-work.  All  this  kind  of  work  can,  of 
course,  be  amplified  to  any  extent ;  but  in  any  simple 
way,  such  as  I  have  suggested,  the  existing  stone  floors 
can  be  made  infinitely  more  pleasant  and  artistic,  at  no 
greater  cost  than  covering  them  with  oilcloth  or  lino- 
leum, when  it  is  remembered  that  the  latter  want  con- 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


45 


stantly  renewing  and  that  the  former  treatment  will 
last  for  ever. 

Marble  mosaic,  and  plain  or  encaustic  tile  paving, 
have  of  late  years  come  largely  into  use,  and  it  is  not 
necessary  to  enlarge  upon  the  excellence  of  either  of 
these  special  ways  of  paving  ;  but  remember  always 
that  with  tiles,  simple  designs,  and  masses  of  plain 
colours,  red,  grey,  or  buff,  are  to  be  preferred 
to  any  elaborate  patterns,  which,  as  a  rule,  are  any- 
thing but  artistic,  and  too  often  utterly  unsatisfactory, 
In  tile  pavements  it  is  desirable,  especially  in  the 
ordinary  narrow  hall  of  a  town  house,  to  have  as  broad 
a  treatment  of  the  spaces  as  possible,  and  to  avoid 
altogether  the  all-over  patterns,  which  are  published  in 
most  of  the  pattern  books  laid  before  the  public  ;  not 
only  are  these  elaborate  geometrical  patterns  unsatis- 
factory when  laid,  by  destroying  the  breadth  of  surface 
and  seemingly  diminishing  the  already  too  narrow  space, 
but  they  are  infinitely  more  expensive  than  plain  red 
4  or  6  inch  tiles  laid  over  the  whole  space,  with  a 
simple  border  of  black  or  buff.  A  plain  red  tile  pave- 
ment of  this  kind  is  infinitely  pleasanter,  warmer,  and 
more  suitable  for  a  town  hall,  than  any  of  the  ela- 
borate patterns  which  are  offered  for  the  public  choice, 
and  repeated  ad  nauseam,  in  oilcloth  and  linoleum. 


46 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


In  late  years  there  has  been  a  very  considerable 
revival  in  the  work  of  marble  mosaic  for  pavements. 
Messrs.  Burke  and  Co.,  and  other  manufacturers,  have 
endeavoured  to  bring  this  eminently  beautiful  and 
artistic  work  into  more  general  use,  by  economising, 
as  far  as  possible,  the  cost  of  its  production  and  laying. 
This  kind  of  pavement  is  necessarily  costly  in  small 
spaces,  varying  from  50^.  to  70s".  a  yard,  but  when  laid 
the  result  is  most  satisfactory.  Messrs.  Minton  and  Co., 
and  other  manufacturers,  make  tesserae  of  burnt  earth, 
with  which  a  somewhat  cheaper  pavement  can  be 
made. 

In  all  this  kind  of  work,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  a  considerable  extra  thickness  is  superimposed 
upon  the  existing  stone  base,  and  that  this  must  be 
provided  for,  either  by  cutting  away  the  stonework,  or 
in  splaying  down  the  new  coating  to  the  floors  of  the 
rooms.  The  first  procedure  is  expensive  and  unsatis- 
factory, as  weakening  the  constructive  flooring  ;  but 
the  splaying  off  in  the  door  openings  can  be  done  so 
as  to  in  nowise  be  inconvenient  or  objectionable,  and 
the  expense  of  cutting  away  the  stonework  is  thus 
avoided.  Of  course,  if  the  floors  are  of  wood,  all  this 
expense  is  avoided  by  taking  up  the  old  flooring  and 
filling  in  between  the  joists  with  concrete  or  pugging, 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


47 


and  so  providing  a  solid  level  surface  for  the  new 
flooring.  It  is  not  necessary  to  enter  into  the  question  of 
the  use  of  mosaic  for  general  decoration,  for  naturally 
it  hardly  suggests  itself  as  suitable  for  the  covering 
of  the  internal  walls  of  our  houses,  and  the  action  of 
frost  and  moisture  practically  prevents  its  adoption, 
except  when  carefully  protected,  for  external  work ; 
moreover,  for  all  absolutely  decorative  purposes  it 
must  necessarily  be  costly,  and  its  effect  at  short 
distances  is  generally  unsatisfactory.  Applied  to  the 
decoration  of  large  monumental  structures,  mosaic  has 
been  used  from  the  earliest  civilised  times,  and  the 
wondrous  beauty  of  the  ancient  examples  which  still 
remain  to  us,  in  mural  decoration  and  pavements, 
speak  better  than  all  words  to  its  interest  and  dur- 
ability. 

Another  and  a  cheaper  way  of  paving  is  by  the 
use  of  what  are  called  marble  mosaic  tiles  ;  these  tiles 
are  made  by  pressing  a  number  of  various  coloured 
marble  chips  into  a  specially  prepared  cement,  either 
without  pattern,  as  <  misciata,'  or  in  a  pattern ;  the  tiles 
when  dry  being  polished,  the  effect  is  good  and  pleasing. 
The  cost  varies  from  js.  6d.  per  square  yard,  and  if 
the  tiles  are  used  in  single  colours  of  red,  grey,  and 
black,  an  effective  pavement  can  be  obtained  at  a  small 


48 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


cost.  This  material  may  also  be  made  in  large  slabs 
for  lining  walls,  and  when  polished  forms  an  excellent 
finish  for  hall  or  staircase  dados  at  moderate  cost. 
The  mosaic  tiles,  made  by  the  Mosaic  Tile  Company, 
seem  specially  good  in  design  and  moderate  in  cost. 
Inlaid  cement  work  for  floors  ought  to  be  much  more 
encouraged,  as  a  cheap  and  durable  method  of  simple 
but  effective  treatment  of  plain  surfaces. 

I  need  hardly  refer  to  the  ordinary  covering  of  a 
London  hall  by  means  of  linoleum  and  oilcloth.  I 
consider  both  objectionable,  and  to  be  avoided  as  far 
as  possible.  Painted  oilcloth  soon  becomes  shabby  by 
its  pattern  being  worn  through,  and,  as  a  rule,  this 
pattern  is  only  an  imitation  of  tile  or  parquet  work, 
bad  in  treatment,  colouring,  and  design. 

Until  quite  recently,  it  has  been  the  fashion  to 
cover  the  whole  of  the  floors  of  our  reception  and  bed- 
rooms with  drugget  or  carpet,  which,  as  a  rule,  was 
never  removed,  except  at  the  usual  periods  of  spring 
and  autumn  cleaning  ;  and  it  is  hardly  necessary,  there- 
fore, to  object  to  the  system  as  utterly  opposed  to  all 
laws  of  health  and  cleanliness.  Floors  thus  covered, 
as  a  matter  of  course  become  the  receptacles  of  dirt 
and  dust,  which  no  amount  of  brushing  can  get  rid  of ; 
and  this  daily  brushing  serves  only  to  raise  a  cloud  of 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


49 


dirt  and  dust,  which  settles  in  part  upon  every  object 
in  the  rooms,  and  in  part  returns  to  its  original  resting- 
place.  It  is  a  matter  of  astonishment  to  me,  to  find 
that  there  are  still  a  large  number  of  people  who  are 
content  to  keep  this  exceedingly  bad  arrangement  of 
floor  covering,  and  who  object  altogether  to  having  a 
certain  amount  of  plain  floor  space  all  round  the  sides 
of  the  room.  In  the  first  place,  this  covering  of  the 
whole  surface  is  unhealthy  ;  in  the  second  place,  it  is 
dirty  ;  and,  in  the  third  place,  the  cost  of  the  carpet  is 
infinitely  more  than  the  cost  of  painting  or  staining  the 
edges  of  the  rooms. 

There  are  many  ways  of  treating  the  floor  surfaces 
of  a  room,  either  in  part,  or  entirely,  so  as  to  avoid  the 
necessity  of  carpeting  the  whole  surface.  The  cheapest 
way  is  to  paint,  say,  a  margin  of  two  or  three  feet 
wide,  all  round  the  room,  in  four  or  five  coats  of  dark 
colour,  care  being  taken  that  the  groundwork  through- 
out is  dark,  so  tha.t  scratches  shall  not  show  any  light 
colour  under,  and  that  sufficient  time  is  allowed  for 
each  succeeding  coat  to  harden  and  dry.  Take  care 
also  that  the  floors  are  painted  before  being  sized,  for 
if  size  is  used  before  paint  or  stain,  the  surface  will 
easily  chip  and  soon  become  shabby.  A  square  carpet 
or  rug  can  then  be  pinned  down  over  the  centre  space, 

E 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


and  this  can  be  easily  taken  up  once  a  week  and  shaken, 
and  the  borders  can  be  washed  or  cleaned  every  day. 
New  floors  can  either  be  treated  in  this  way,  or  stained, 
sized,  and  varnished,  or  wax  polished. 

Many  of  the  floors  abroad  are  formed  entirely  in 
tiles,  laid  upon  concrete  filling-in  between  the  wood 
joists  ;  but,  although  clean  and  healthy,  this  kind  of 
floor  is  somewhat  cold  and  dismal,  and,  unless  extremely 
well  laid,  the  joints  are  too  apt  to  form  receptacles  for 
dirt  and  dust. 

A  more  expensive  way  of  forming  borders  is  by 
the  use  of  what  is  called  1  Parquet/  This  parquet 
consists  of  the  fitting  together  of  narrow  strips  of 
various  hard  woods,  carefully  grooved  and  tongued, 
into  a  pattern  ;  this  work  is,  however,  expensive,  vary- 
ing from  2s.  6d.  to  3s.  6d.  per  foot  superficial,  laid,  and 
involves  considerable  labour  and  expense  in  cutting 
and  altering  the  old  floor,  unless,  of  course,  the  whole 
surface  is  covered  with  parquet,  by  which  means  an 
additional  thickness  is  laid  over  the  original  floor 
surface. 

The  general  effect  of  this  inlaid  wood-work  is  more 
showy,  but  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  more  artistic, 
than  plain  painting,  staining  and  varnishing,  or  simple 
oak  bordering.    Messrs.  Arrowsmith,  and  other  well- 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


51 


known  upholsterers,  have  for  many  years  provided  good 
examples  of  this  kind  of  work  in  solid  parquet,  which 
must  not  be  confounded  with  the  thin  veneering  glued 
down  to  a  common  deal  backing,  which,  although  practi- 
cally cheaper,  is,  to  my  mind,  inferior  in  quality.  Messrs, 
Howard,  of  Berners  Street,  have  patented  what  they 
call  '  carpet  parquet.'  This  is  made  by  machinery,  of 
very  thin  strips  of  wood,  which  are  first  desiccated,  then 
cut  to  the  required  form,  and  arranged  into  a  pattern, 
and  secured  by  a  canvas  backing.  The  advantage  of 
this  is,  that  it  can  either  be  laid  as  a  border  or  over 
the  entire  room,  without  interfering  with  the  old  floor ; 
and  if  laid  as  a  border,  aiy  ordinary  carpet  practically 
fills  up  the  thickness,  and  the  cost7  ranging  from  6d.  to 
is.  6d.  per  foot  superficial,  is  much  in  its  favour.  All 
parquet  work  is  practically  impervious  to  dust,  and  there- 
fore naturally  conduces  to  the  healthiness  of  the  room, 
as  there  are  no  open  joints  to  collect  dust,  or  what 
doctors  call  *  germ  seeds '  of  disease.  The  simple 
staining,  sizing,  and  varnishing  of  floor  margins  costs 
about  is,  6d.  per  square  yard,  but  this  can  only  be 
done  effectively  on  new  floors. 

In  the  external  decoration  of  the  ordinary  brick 
and  cement  fagades  of  town  houses,  I  cannot  see  why 

a  much  larger  use  should  not  be  made  of  coloured 

e  2 


5^ 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


decoration,  or  why  we  cannot  apply  the  teaching  of  the 
old  northern  Italian  artists,  who  covered  with  distemper 
decoration  the  exteriors  of  their  houses.  With  the 
many  impurities  that  arise  in  most  towns,  from  gas 
and  smoke,  and  sewer  exhalations,  all  of  which  ought 
to  be  preventible,  it  would  be  impossible  to  use  dis- 
temper or  fresco  decoration  ;  but  we  might  surely  take 
from  ancient  work  some  few  hints  for  the  decorative 
treatment  in  paint  of  plain  plaster  walls,  and  so  improve 
the  unutterably  inartistic  and  miserable  appearance  of 
so  many  of  our  modern  streets  and  squares. 

We  cannot  in  England  expect  to  have  Italian 
climate  or  Italian  brilliancy  of  sky  or  sunlight ;  but 
surely  this  is  all  the  more  reason  why  we  should  endea- 
vour to  give  some  colour  to  the  dingy  streets,  made 
more  dingy  by  the  smoke  and  other  impurities,  engen- 
dered by  the  present  use,  or  rather  abuse,  of  coal  and 
gas  in  most  of  our  towns  and  cities.  Even  the  stucco 
palaces  of  Belgravia  and  Tyburnia  might  be  made  fairly 
pleasant  objects  to  look  at,  if  relieved  with  coloured 
decoration,  in  some  such  way  as  the  houses  in  the 
Piazza  delle  Erbe,  at  Verona,  from  their  dreary  mono- 
tony of  imitation  stone  colouring,  and  sickly  common- 
placeness  of  Portland  cement. 

We  may  almost  be  grateful  to  those  who  first  broke 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


53 


away  from  the  ordinary  colour,  and  painted  the  ex- 
teriors of  their  houses  red  or  blue,  and  for  the  attempt 
made  by  Messrs.  Jackson  and  Graham  to  introduce 
external  coloured  decoration  in  the  new  Continental 
Hotel  in  Waterloo  Place.  But  even  plain  painting  is 
better  than  the  vulgar  and  ignorant  arrangement  of 
colours,  which  is  occasionally  to  be  seen  in  our  modern 
streets,  wherein  flaming  contrasts  of  colouring  are  put 
forth  without  any  harmony  or  design  ;  we  might  with 
advantage  study  the  drawings  of  the  very  simple,  but 
withal  beautiful  and  harmonious,  colouring  of  some  of 
the  simple  '  secco  '  decoration  of  the  Egyptian  tombs  or 
the  '  fresco '  paintings  on  the  walls  of  Pompeii  :  what- 
ever we  may  think  of  the  art  work  in  these  buildings, 
we  may  accept  the  simple  and  harmonious  rendering  of 
plain  colours  on  flat  wall  surfaces,  as  nearly  always 
good  and  satisfactory  ;  a  few  simple  colours  judiciously 
treated  in  the  flat  surfaces  and  cornices  of  the  usual 
cement-fronted  houses,  would  render  them,  if  not  highly 
artistic,  at  all  events  infinitely  more  pleasant  to  look  upon' 
and  break  the  dreary  outlook  which  is  presented  by 
the  everlasting  rows  of  grey-tinted  fronts  ;  good  stencil 
decoration  in  paint  might  well  be  introduced  on  some 
of  the  flat  surfaces,  and  even  figure  decoration  in  panels 
could  be  done  at  a  moderate  cost,  if  treated  simply  in 


54 


outline.  An  ordinary  cement-fronted  house  could 
be  made  fairly  attractive  if  painted  in  simple  tones  of 
light  red,  black,  and  white,  with  here  and  there  lines 
or  stencil  patterns  of  cobalt,  yellow  ochre,  or  green, 
properly  arranged. 

I  do  not  see  why  we  should  have  all  our  houses 
dingy,  as  well  as  bad  in  architectural  design.  The  spe- 
culative builder  has  provided  us  with  all  that  is  filthy 
and  objectionable  in  the  way  of  building  and  design  ; 
we,  if  we  like,  can  do  something,  without  any  great 
outlay  of  money,  to  neutralise  this,  by  judicious  use  of 
colour  in  some  of  the  monotonous  lines  of  cornices  and 
wall  faces,  instead  of  always  adhering  to  the  dreariness 
and  dismal  commonplaceness  of  grey  and  stone  colour. 
It  is  lamentable  that,  in  these  days  of  so-called  high 
art,  there  cannot  be  formed  some  School  of  Decorative 
Artists,  to  whom  those  who  desire  something  more 
artistic  in  design  and  colouring  can  go,  and  by  whom 
the  advising  as  to  the  simple  decoration  of  the  external 
face  of  an  ordinary  -house  need  not  be  a  thing  to  be 
lightly  treated. 

The  palaces  of  Venice  and  the  cinque-cento 
churches  throughout  Italy,  show  how  marvellously  the 
use  of  marble,  even  in  small  panels,  brightens  up  and 
relieves  the  surface  of  a  flat  dull  wall.     Marble  has 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


55 


been  largely  employed  in  many  well-known  ancient 
buildings  for  surface  decoration,  and  a  few  plaques 
of  bright-coloured  marble  unpolished,  inserted  as 
panels  in  our  street  fronts,  would  do  something  to 
lighten  up  and  break  the  present  dulness,  at  a  com- 
paratively small  outlay. 

Architects  get  the  credit  of  being  the  authors  of 
innumerable  bad  works  ;  but  we  are  not  responsible  for 
the  vulgar,  tasteless  erections  of  the  last  twenty  years, 
which  make  up  the  streets  and  squares  of  the  greater 
part  of  fashionable,  modern  London.  No  wonder  that 
London  is  the  dingiest,  the  dreariest,  and  the  ugliest 
city  in  the  world  ;  no  wonder  that  all  artistic  feeling  is 
crushed,  when  we  see  the  endless  rows  of  cement- 
covered  houses,  of  hideous  outline  and  commonplace 
design,  left  grey,  in  all  the  shabbiness  of  Portland 
cement,  or  blossoming  out  in  triennial  springtides  of 
fresh  paint,  which  whitewash  for  a  while  the  tasteless 
vulgarity  of  our  street  facades. 

It  would  seem  that  the  architect  and  the  painter  are 
not  in  accord ;  that  there  is  a  want  of  that  proper 
sympathy  and  art  brotherhood,  which,  in  olden  days, 
made  men  think  nothing  too  insignificant  to  work  upon, 
the  painting  of  a  great  decorative  picture,  the  figure 
decoration  of  a  noble  hall,  the  painting  of  arabesque  on 


56 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


walls,  or  the  tinting  of  outside  plaster  work.  Why 
should  this  want  of  sympathy  exist  ? 

I  am  quite  certain  that  amongst  all  good  architects 
there  is  a  strong  desire  to  bring  into  their  work  the 
work  of  the  painter,  and  to  associate  with  their  build- 
ing, in  goodly  and  pleasant  fellowship,  the  work  of 
the  sculptor  and  the  painter. 

I  see  no  reason  why  the  skill  and  thought  of  the 
architect  and  decorator  should  not  be  employed  in 
making  the  general  run  of  commonplace  street  archi- 
tecture pleasanter  to  look  at  by  means  of  coloured 
decoration,  lightly,  simply,  and  economically  treated, 
or  by  the  use  of  glazed  terra-cotta  in  a  variety  of 
colours. 

A  new  kind  of  architectural  faience,  '  Burmantofts,' 
has  lately  been  brought  prominently  before  the  public 
by  Messrs.  Wilcock  and  Co.,  of  Leeds,  and  seems  well 
adapted  for  the  use  of  external  and  internal  wall  deco- 
ration ;  it  is  made  out  of  a  very  fine  quality  of  fire-clay, 
composed  of  almost  pure  silica  and  alumina,  will  resist 
intense  heat,  and  is  therefore  well  adapted  for  fire- 
places and  stoves,  and  the  manufacturers  seem  to  be 
aiming  to  produce  work  of  good  artistic  merit,  by  em- 
ploying skilled  artists  in  the  design  and  modelling,  and 
thus  avoiding  the  generally  hard  and  unartistic  effect  of 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


57 


purely  machine-made  work.  The  clay,  when  modelled 
to  its  required  form,  is  subjected  to  great  heat  and 
afterwards  finished  with  a  coloured  and  glazed  surface 
in  the  usual  manner.  The  various  glazes  and  colours 
used  are  all  metallic  oxides,  which,  being  completely 
saturated  into  the  skin  or  surface  of  the  clay,  by  being 
fused  at  great  heat,  unite  thoroughly  with  the  silica 
in  the  clay,  and  thus  secure  a  surface  that  will  resist 
all  atmospheric  effects,  so  that  the  material  may  well 
be  adopted  for  any  external  decoration.  In  Plate  L 
I  give  an  illustration  of  a  small  angle  fire-place  and 
dado,  designed  by  Mr.  Maurice  B.  Adams,  as  sugges- 
tive of  the  purposes  for  which  the  material  may  be 
adapted  in  internal  decoration  :  the  cost  of  a  dado 
such  as  that  shown  in  the  drawing  would  be  about  35^. 
a  square  yard,  or  about  the  price  of  an  ornamental 
panelled  and  carved  dado  in  American  walnut  or 
wainscot.  For  the  lining  of  halls,  bath-rooms,  or  stair- 
cases, or  for  external  work,  the  material  seems  well 
adapted,  while  the  various  tones  of  colouring  with 
which  it  may  be  treated,  and  its  strongly  glazed  sur- 
face, render  it  not  only  an  artistic  but  a  cleanly 
material  for  all  such  purposes. 

Why  cannot  we  learn  a  lesson  from  the  treatment 
of  some  of  the  external  facades  in  the   street  of 


58 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


nations  in  the  late  Paris  Exhibition,  and  adapt  majolica 
ware  and  faience  to  the  external  decoration  of  our 
houses  ? 

The  money  spent  on  a  piece  of  bric-a-brac  or  an 
ordinary  water-colour  painting,  if  judiciously  laid  out, 
would  provide  for  the  decoration,  in  good  glazed  terra- 
cotta or  tile-work,  of  the  entrance  door  of  a  house  ;  and, 
with  a  little  thought  and  a  moderate  outlay,  the  miser- 
able skeletons  of  London  street  houses  mi^ht  be  vivi- 
fled  and  brought  into,  at  least,  some  semblance  of 
pleasant  life  and  colour. 

Fresco  decoration  in  distemper  is  out  of  the  ques- 
tion ;  but  painted  pottery,  glazed  terra-cotta,  mosaic, 
and  even  enamelled  iron  may,  rightly  treated,  be  well 
fitted  to  give  colour  and  even  beauty  to  our  London 
streets  ;  and  such  work  would  not  suffer  by  smoke  or 
atmospheric  influences,  and  would  be  freshened  and 
cleaned  by  each  shower  of  rain,  and  made  brighter  by 
each  breath  of  wind. 

Internally,  there  are  naturally  very  many  ways  for 
the  decorative  treatment  of  the  wall  spaces ;  but,  as  I 
purpose  in  my  future  lectures  to  offer  suggestions  for 
the  special  treatment  of  the  walls  of  various  rooms,  I 
shall  at  present  confine  my  remarks  generally  to  the 
materials  which  may  be  used.    Chief,  perhaps,  amongst 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


59 


the  various  ways  of  covering  the  walls  of  rooms  in  the 
Elizabethan  age,  was  by  hangings  of  tapestry  or  arras. 
These,  as  a  rule,  were  simply  hung  upon  the  walls,  and 
where,  as  very  frequently  in  earlier  days,  these  were  of 
brick  or  stone,  not  plastered,  the  heavy  tapestry,  hung 
to  tenter  hooks,  at  once  hid  the  rough  work  under,  and 
gave  warmth  and  comfort  to  the  cold  and  cheerless 
walls,  and  were  easily  taken  down  and  stowed  away. 
Another  way  of  covering  the  walls  was  with  painted 
cloth,  or  canvas,  painted  with  various  subjects,  de- 
vices, and  mottoes.  The  elaboration  of  this  kind  of 
hanging  was  taken  up  by  the  French,  and  more  recently 
introduced  into  this  country,  in  the  way  of  straining 
damask,  satin,  silk,  or  other  material  over  the  wall 
surfaces,  either  entirely  covering  the  wall  or  arranged 
in  panels  by  mouldings.  All  this  kind  of  work,  how- 
ever charming  in  itself,  is  to  my  mind  essentially  out 
of  place  in  ordinary  town  rooms.  Tapestry  is  gloomy 
and  holds  dust,  and  silk  and  satin  are  too  delicate  to 
stand  the  smoke  and  dirt  of  town  atmospheres.  Any- 
thing that  holds  dust  is  essentially  out  of  place  on  the 
walls  of  our  rooms,  and,  no  matter  how  picturesque 
the  general  effect  of  good  tapestry,  it  would  be  utterly 
out  of  place  in  the  permanent  decoration  of  the  wall 
surfaces  of  our  houses  ;  but  I  see  no  reason  why  good 


6o 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


pieces  of  old  tapestry  should  not  be  strained  and  hung 
on  the  walls  of  the  halls  or  staircases  as  pictures,  or  any 
other  objects  of  art,  so  long  as  they  are  moveable  and 
easily  shifted  for  cleaning  purposes. 

I  confess  my  own  views  are,  that  anything  that,  by 
its  surface,  collects  and  holds  dust,  is  to  be  carefully 
avoided  in  all  wall  decoration  in  town  houses,  and  for 
these  reasons  all  flock-papers,  as  well  as  those  stamped 
in  relief,  are,  as  a  rule,  to  be  avoided  except  for  ceiling 
or  frieze  decoration.  Some  of  the  better  class  of 
double  flock-papers — for  instance,  such  a  one  as  the 
exquisite  sunflower  pattern  designed  by  Mr.  Talbert, 
and  made  by  Messrs.  Jeffrey — are  admirably  adapted 
for  a  dining-room,  when  a  high  wood  panelled  dado  is 
used,  and  the  paper  surface  is  limited  ;  this  paper  is 
sufficiently  decorative  by  itself,  but  is  also  admirably 
adapted,  by  its  tone  of  colouring,  for  pictures  or  en- 
gravings. 

The  illustration  (Plate  II.)  shows  an  arrangement 
of  this  sunflower  paper  for  the  general  wall  surface, 
with  a  dado  of  paper  stamped  in  imitation  of  leather. 
Both  these  papers  are  not  only  exceedingly  beautiful 
in  design  and  general  tone  of  colouring,  but  are  also 
of  the  highest  order  of  workmanship  and  manufacture  ; 
the  flock-paper  is  raised  in  different  thicknesses  and 


Plate  N?  2 . 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


61 


finished  in  different  tones,  so  as  to  present  perfect 
harmony  of  colouring,  the  general  effect  being  of  a. 
golden  olive  tone :  the  ground  work  of  light  olive 
green,  with  greenish-yellow  sunflowers  and  darker  green 
leaves,  is  all  carefully  blended  and  exceedingly  well 
grouped.  Such  a  paper  as  this,  involving  great  skill 
and  labour  in  its  manufacture,  is  necessarily  costly,  and 
its  woolly  raised  or  flock  surface  naturally  forms  a 
ground  for  collecting  dust,  and  is  not  therefore  to  be 
recommended  for  town  houses  ;  but  the  same  pattern 
in  plain  distemper  colours,  although  not  so  artistic  or 
good  in  its  general  effect,  is  much  more  moderate  in 
cost,  and  well  adapted  for  the  walls  of  a  dining-room 
or  library.  The  stamped  dado  paper  is  an  adaptation 
of  an  old  Venetian  leather  design,  in  part  remodelled 
to  suit  the  requirements  of  a  paper  hanging,  and  being 
finished  to  a  soft  golden  bronze  tone  of  colouring, 
forms  an  exceedingly  effective  and  handsome  base 
for  a  dining-room  wall  decoration  :  the  thick  paper 
of  which  it  is  made  is  specially  prepared,  so  as  not 
to  crack  or  break  with  stamping,  and  is  lacquered, 
painted,  and  gilded,  in  all  other  respects  after  the 
manner  of  old  Venetian  leather,  except  that  Dutch 
metal  is  largely  used  in  place  of  silver,  the  metal  being 
varnished  over  with  lacquer,  so  that  the  surface  may 


62 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


not  in  any  way  be  effected  by  atmospheric  changes 
or  impurities  of  gas  or  smoke. 

The  present  French  system  of  panelling  the  rooms 
with  elaborate  framework  of  intricate  mouldings  and 
carvings,  and  filling  in  the  panels  with  silk  or  paper,  is 
certainly  not  adapted  for  town  rooms  ;  the  carvings 
and  mouldings  hold  dirt,  require  constantly  cleaning, 
and  are  extravagant  and  costly,  nor  do  I  think  the 
effect  in  any  way  satisfactory,  except  in  very  large 
reception  rooms. 

Any  system  of  panelling  the  general  surfaces  of 
walls  of  an  ordinary  town  room,  will  be  found  incon- 
venient and  unsuitable  for  hanging  pictures,  and  other- 
wise decorating  the  walls,  as  it  necessarily  requires 
everything  to  be  equally  arranged  and  fixed  in  the 
centres  of  the  panels,  or  in  the  dividing  spaces,  and  it 
seems  absurd  to  hang  a  picture  on  a  small  scale  in  a 
panel  of  great  size.  In  the  great  houses  and  halls, 
where  large  full-length  ancestral  portraits  filled  up 
nearly  the  whole  space,  the  arrangement  had  fewer 
objections,  more  especially  as  it  formed  part  of  the 
general  construction  of  the  rooms,  the  great  mantel 
being  designed  with  it,  the  whole  finished  with  skilfully 
designed  cornices,  and  ceilings  with  flat  mouldings, 
worked  into  elaborate  or  simple  panelling. 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


63 


Of  course  this  kind  of  work  in  large  rooms  is 
expensive,  and,  unless  the  general  furnishing  be  on 
an  equal  scale,  incongruous  and  absurd. 

Embossed  leather  was  largely  used  in  the  Eliza- 
bethan age  for  wall  hangings,  but  this  is  exceedingly 
difficult  and  costly  to  obtain ;  where  used,  it  may  be 
formed  into  a  high  dado,  with  a  plain  deal  moulding 
over,  or  divided  into  small  dado  panels,  where  the 
ornament  or  pattern  will  admit  of  it.  The  papers 
stamped  after  the  manner  of  leather,  by  Messrs. 
Jeffrey,  similar  to  the  one  shown  in  Plate  II.,  are 
exceedingly  good  in  design,  and  fairly  inexpensive. 

Mr.  Walton,  of  Sunbury,  has  invented  a  new  kind 
of  material  for  wall  decoration,  which  he  calls  1  Muralis.' 
This  is  said  to  have  the  merit  of  being  strong  and 
moderately  inexpensive.  It  is  practically  linoleum 
lined  with  canvas,  that  it  may  be  fitted  up  against  the 
wall  and  ceiling,  and  is  a  mixture  of  linseed  oil  and 
fibre  rolled  on  to  a  fabric,  and  afterwards  stamped  by 
machinery  with  ornamentation  in  relief.  The  speci- 
mens I  have  seen  are  artistic  in  their  design,  the 
stamping  being  clear  and  sharp,  the  effect  being  more 
like  very  delicate  low  relief  carving  or  plaster  stamp- 
ing.  The  especial  merits  claimed  for  it  are  its  warm 
and  comfortable  appearance  ;  that  it  does  not  absorb 


64 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


moisture,  and  offers  an  impermeable  resistance  to  wet 
from  within  or  without  ;  it  can  either  be  put  up  for 
dados,  or  may  be  used  as  a  decorative  frieze,  and 
painted  to  any  colour  to  suit  the  general  tone  of  the 
room,  especially  as  it  can  be  put  along  the  whole  length 
of  a  wall  without  being  jointed  ;  it  can  be  used  in  the 
panels  of  doors  or  ceilings,  and  the  cost  is  moderate, 
some  of  the  best  patterns  for  dado  work  about  2  feet 
high  being  sold  for  about  35.  a  yard.  There  are 
many  other  materials  which  can  be  adopted  for  wall 
decoration,  more  especially  in  the  lower  portion  of  the 
walls,  where  the  room  is  unequally  divided  by  a  high 
or  low  dado. 

Good  tiles  can  be  used  in  panels  in  the  walls  of 
halls,  with  painted  figures,  or  other  decorative  subjects  ; 
but  pray  do  not  encourage  the  use  of  rough,  unevenly 
burnt  tiles,  by  which  the  subject  painting  is  generally 
utterly  ruined  or  seriously  damaged.  To  suppose  that 
this  roughness  and  irregularity  give  an  air  of  age,  is 
simply  ridiculous  ;  and  if  it  did,  it  would  be  setting 
forth  a  lie,  and  be  as  bad  in  taste  as  it  is  in  appearance. 
I  take  it,  that  had  our  forefathers  been  able  to  make 
tiles  as  well  as  we  make  them  now,  they  would  have 
done  so  ;  and  it  seems  to  me  gross  affectation  to  copy 
imperfections  of  any  kind. 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


65 


In  Plate  IV.  I  give  two  panels  of  tile  decoration 
designed  by  Mr.  G.  F.  Malins,  which  are  good  and 
artistic  in  treatment.  The  designs  are  drawn  in  plain 
outline  of  strong  brownish  tone  on  lightly  tinted  tiles, 
and  the  ornament  slightly  stained  or  coloured ;  the 
general  effect  is  good,  and  the  cost,  about  30^.  a  panel, 
exceedingly  moderate.  Panels  such  as  these  may  be 
used  to  advantage  in  internal  wall  decoration,  or  for 
the  lining  of  the  sides  of  fire-places. 

Messrs.  Howard  have  a  cheap  way  of  forming 
wood  dados,  by  gluing  on  to  the  wall  what  they 
call  wood  tapestry,  which  is  really  only  a  kind  of  ven- 
eering. This  kind  of  work  may  be  fairly  adapted 
where  there  is  no  chance  of  damp  ;  but  I  should  pre- 
fer to  see  a  simple  deal  painted  dado,  rather  than 
this  wood  veneering,  which,  to  my  mind,  partakes 
too  much  of  the  character  of  sham  to  be  altogether 
satisfactory. 

In  small  drawing-rooms,  where  expense  is  an 
object,  India  or  Manilla  matting  may  very  well  be 
used  as  a  dado ;  it  is  clean,  and,  thus  arranged, 
fairly  lasting.  But  the  use  of  all  these  various 
materials  must  necessarily  depend  upon  the  means  at 
the  artist's  disposal,  and  I  shall  more  especially  allude 
to  them  in  the  examples  which  I  propose  to  give  in  my 

F 


66 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


fourth  and  fifth  lectures,  for  the  decoration  of  special 
rooms.  After  all,  most  of  us  will  have  to  be  content 
with  the  more  recent  invention  of  paper-hangings  for 
the  decoration  of  our  rooms  ;  and,  thanks  to  Messrs. 
Jeffrey,  Messrs  Crace,  Messrs  Morris,  and  other  manu- 
facturers, there  is  now  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  good 
artistic  paper-hangings  of  good  quality,  and  at  mode- 
rate cost.  The  designs  of  these  firms  are  of  the 
highest  possible  excellence  as  regards  drawing  and 
design,  and  the  colouring  and  workmanship  are  as 
good  as  they  can  be. 

Naturally,  papers  vary  very  much  in  their  cost, 
according  to  the  character,  but  the  pattern-books  of  any 
good  firm  of  paper-makers  will  show  that  the  cheapest 
papers  may  be  as  equally  good  in  artistic  design  as 
the  more  elaborate  specimens.  In  the  cheapest  form  of 
hangings  the  paper  is  printed  by  machinery — that  is  to 
say,  all  the  colours  are  printed  at  one  time  either  on 
self-toned  paper,  as  it  comes  from  the  manufacturer,  or 
which  receives  a  general  coloured  ground  ; — the  prices 
of  these  vary  from  is.  to  $s.  per  piece,  according  to 
the  thickness  of  the  paper  used. 

Plate  III.  shows  an  illustration  of  a  good  and 
effective  design  by  Mr.  Walter  Crane,  made  by 
Messrs.  Jeffrey  &  Co.,  for  a  paper  suited  for  the 


Plate  N°  3 . 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


67 


general  wall  decoration  of  an  inner  hall  or  staircase, 
the  surface  being  clearly  defined  in  drawing,  and  at 
the  same  time  well  covered  with  simple  artistic  orna- 
ment. The  general  tone  is  a  warm  creamy  yellow,  with 
wall-flower  pattern  diaper  of  golden  brown,  in  harmony 
with  the  yellow  ground ;  the  whole  brightened  up  by 
the  powdering  over  of  the  pale  pinkish-toned  petals  or 
leaves,  falling,  as  it  were,  from  the  sprays  of  almond 
flowers  in  the  frieze.  This  frieze  with  its  delicate  blue 
ground  and  well-coloured  sprays,  with  swallows  flitting 
in  and  out,  forms  an  exceedingly  good  contrast  with 
the  lower  paper,  when  divided  by  a  simple  painted 
deal  moulding  or  picture  rail,  painted  golden  brown 
and  varnished,  as  suggested  in  the  illustration.  The 
lower  paper  must  of  course  be  hung  square,  and  not 
raking  with  the  lines  of  the  staircase;  but  there  is 
no  reason  why  the  picture  rail  should  not  follow  the 
slope  of  the  staircase,  and  the  top  space  be  filled 
in  with  the  frieze  paper,  as  shown. 

The  block-printed  papers  necessarily  are  more 
expensive,  as  they  demand  much  greater  skill  and 
knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  workmen,  each  colour 
being  printed  separately.  In  all  of  these  papers,  gold, 
so  called,  can  be  introduced,  the  cheaper  quality  being 
done  in  powdered  metal  or  gold  size;  in  the  more 

F  2 


63 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


expensive  papers  gold-leaf  is  used,  by  which  a  much 
greater  brilliancy  is  obtained  ;  but,  even  at  its  best,  gold 
on  paper-hangings  in  rooms  exposed  to  the  usual  filthy 
gas  of  most  English  towns,  and  to  the  humid  atmosphere 
of  our  climate,  is  never  satisfactory,  it  loses  its  brilliancy 
in  a  few  years  ;  and  in  newly  built  houses,  and  on  walls 
where  there  is  any  draught  or  damp,  it  will  not  stand 
for  any  length  of  time.  Some  of  the  raised  flock- 
papers  and  plain  raised  patterns  of  Messrs.  Jeffrey  are 
exceedingly  good  in  artistic  treatment  and  colouring, 
and  are  eminently  adapted  for  ceiling  decoration, 
either  as  an  entire  covering  or  in  panels,  with  slight 
wood  enframing  mouldings,  and  for  simple  decorative 
friezes.  A  very  good  effect  may  be  obtained  with  the 
pattern  flock-papers  on  gilding,  lacquered  over  like  the 
old  Venetian  work ;  this  produces  a  much  richer 
metallic  effect,  and  the  gold  is,  to  a  certain  extent, 
protected  from  tarnishing.  White  flock-papers,  on  a 
light  ground,  look  well  for  ceiling  decoration,  without 
painting,  and  can  afterwards,  when  dirty,  be  painted  to 
any  tone  of  colour.  Amongst  the  numerous  examples 
of  flock-papers  made  by  the  firm  I  have  mentioned, 
there  is  one  in  Adams's  style  of  decoration,  in  white, 
red,  or  celadon  green  ground,  which  is  especially  success- 
ful in  treatment.    The  one  advantage  of  flock-paper  in 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


69 


decoration  is  that  the  flock,  being  all  wool,  can  be  dyed 
or  stained  in  any  colour,  and  has  much  greater  softness 
of  tone  and  colouring  than  other  papers.  With  the 
great  and  varied  selections  of  high  artistic  paper- 
hangings,  such  as  those  made  by  many  of  our  best 
manufacturers,  and  which  may  be  obtained  at  any 
good  decorators  from  is.  to  70^.  a  piece,  there  should 
be  no  difficulty  in  selecting  some  good  design.  It  is 
gratifying  to  find  that  high-class  manufacturers  like 
these,  in  association  with  good  artist  designers,  are 
seeking  to  prove  to  the  public  that  paper-hangings 
of  high  artistic  merit,  both  in  design  and  colouring, 
may  be  made  to  beautify  our  houses,  without  going 
to  France  for  designs,  and  without  slavishly  copying 
ancient  patterns  and  ancient  examples.  Amongst 
the  patterns  now  made,  there  are  many  which  may 
fairly  be  accepted  as  decoration  complete,  while  others 
are  more  adapted  to  form  the  background  for  pictures 
and  engravings. 

I  can  only  regret  that  it  should  be  necessary,  even 
with  good  manufacturers,  to  issue  new  patterns  each 
year ;  as  artists,  their  aim  should  be  to  combat  the 
shifty  nature  of  a  public  who  will  always  demand 
change  if  they  can  get  it,  and  will  seek  for  a  new 
fashion  in  paper  as  they  do  in  dress  ;  but  if  this 


7o 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


constant  change  and  desire  of  novelty  is  to  be  gratified, 
it  behoves  the  manufacturer  to  take  heed  that  his 
novelties  should  mean  progress — not  mere  change  — 
and  that  each  new  design  shall,  if  possible,  be  better 
in  arrangement,  better  in  colouring,  and  more  beautiful 
in  decorative  treatment,  so  that  the  public  who  crave 
after  change  shall  be  educated,  by  each  new  novelty  in 
paper-hanging,  to  a  higher  standard  of  excellence  and 
beauty  ;  and  thus  imperceptibly  the  art  education  of  the 
people  will  be  increased  and  elevated. 

Remember  always,  as  Mr.  Owen  Jones,  speaking 
of  paper-hangings,  in  his  lecture  on  the  '  True  and 
the  False  in  Art/  justly  says,  that  '  One  of  the  first 
principles  to  be  attended  to  in  adorning  the  walls  of 
an  apartment,  is  that  nothing  should  disturb  their 
flatness/  and  that  '  all  direct  representations  of  natural 
objects  should  be  avoided  ;  first,  because  it  places  these 
objects  in  unseemly  positions  ;  secondly,  because  it 
is  customary  in  almost  every  apartment  to  suspend 
on  the  walls  pictures,  engravings,  or  other  ornamental 
works,  and  that,  therefore,  the  paper  should  serve  as  a 
background,  and  nothing  on  it  should  be  offensive  or 
advancing  to  the  eyes.  .  .  .  When  varieties  of  colours 
are  used,  the  Oriental  rule  of  interweaving  the  form 
and  colour,  so  that  they  may  present  a  neutralised 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


7i 


bloom  when  viewed  at  a  distance,  should  never  be 
departed  from/ 

It  is  a  somewhat  difficult  matter  in  most  town  houses, 
where  the  ceilings  are  generally  plain,  and  bordered 
by  cornices  of  inferior  design,  to  treat  them  with  any 
amount  of  colour.  In  houses  of  the  date  of  Adams, 
the  ceilings  have  generally  some  very  delicate  enrich- 
ments all  over  them,  either  flowing  or  arranged  in 
patterns  very  slightly  raised.  Whenever  these  occur, 
it  is  well  to  treat  them  almost  like  Wedgwood  ware, 
with,  say,  light  tones  of  pink,  green,  grey,  or  buff,  in  very 
delicate  tinting  ;  but  where  the  ceiling  is  quite  flat,  it  is 
desirable  to  tint  it  a  light  tone  of  grey  or  cream  colour, 
to  get  rid  of  the  extreme  glare  of  pure  white.  Next, 
the  cornice,  a  simple  distemper  pattern,  of  a  darker 
shade  of  the  same  colour,  will  often  be  found  effective 
and  useful,  or  one  or  two  simple  lines  with  stencilled 
corners.  The  tinting  of  the  cornices  must  materially 
depend  upon  their  design  and  contour  ;  if  plain 
moulded  cornices,  they  may  be  tinted  in  one  or  two 
shades,  the  lighter  tones  being  always  at  the  top  or 
next  the  ceiling,  and  gradually  darkening  off  to  the 
wall  decoration.  As  a  general  rule,  one  or  two  of  the 
tints  of  the  general  groundwork  of  the  paper  may  be 
used  with  effect  ;  if,  however,  the  cornices  contain  the 


72 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


usual  ill-designed  and  modelled  plaster  enrichments, 
care  should  be  taken  to  keep  them  in  the  background, 
and  to  pick  them  out  as  little  as  possible,  so  as  to 
avoid  making  their  general  badness  of  form  and  exe- 
cution too  prominent.  It  is  well  to  remember  a  few 
general  rules  in  decoration  of  ceilings  and  cornices,  on 
which  to  rely  when  choosing  colours  or  tints.  For 
instance,  in  using  what  are  called  primary  colours 
on  moulded  surfaces,  it  is  well  to  understand  that 
yellow  increases,  while  blue  diminishes  in  strength  ;  the 
former  should,  therefore,  be  used  on  convex,  and  the 
latter  on  concave,  mouldings.  All  strong  colours  should 
be  definitely  separated  from  each  other  by  light  lines, 
fillets,  or  small  mouldings  ;  colours  on  light  grounds 
appear  darker  by  contrast,  while  those  on  dark  grounds 
appear,  as  a  rule,  lighter.  If  the  cornice  presents  any 
broad,  flat  surfaces,  a  simple  conventional  flower  or 
geometrical  pattern  can  often  be  used  to  great  advan- 
tage, care  being  taken  not  to  make  it  too  prominent ; 
the  great  aim  being  to  keep  the  general  work  subser- 
vient, and  in  no  way  to  form  a  dark  moulded  frame 
for  the  mass  of  light  ceiling.  The  ordinary  system  of 
stencil  decoration  can  be  carried  out  at  a  very  small 
expense,  and,  with  a  few  good  patterns,  very  good 
effect  can  be  obtained  in  ceilings,  where,  generally, 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


73 


little  or  nothing  is  done  ;  nor  is  it  a  very  costly  matter 
to  lay  on  to  the  flat  ceiling  small  deal  mouldings 
formed  into  panels,  and  painted,  with  the  panels  filled 
in  with  some  very  light  diaper  or  pattern  flock-paper, 
or  stencil  enrichment. 

Michael  Angelo,  Domenichino,  Vasari,  and  other 
artists,  covered  their  ceilings  with  painting  and  fresco, 
beautiful  in  themselves,  but  tiring  to  those  who  have 
to  look  long  at  them.  Michael  Angelo,  much  against 
his  will,  it  is  said,  painted  in  elaborate  decoration  the 
ceiling  of  the  Sistine  Chapel ;  but  Giotto,  who  knew 
thoroughly  well  how  to  decorate,  declined  generally 
to  waste  his  work  where  it  was,  at  its  best,  but  difficult 
to  see  ;  and  in  the  ceiling  of  the  Arena  Chapel  we  find 
only  a  plain  light  tint  of  pale  blue,  contrasting  well 
with  his  fresco  decoration  on  the  walls. 

In  French  ceilings  we  find  many  graceful  enrich- 
ments, especially  those  designed  by  Le  Potre,  from 
whom  Inigo  Jones  probably  took  many  of  his  ideas 
and  thoughts  ;  afterwards  Vanbrugh  and  Gibbs  fol- 
lowed with  work  of  similar  character,  until  the  per- 
fection of  this  kind  of  cast  enrichment  was  attained 
by  Athenian  Stewart  and  the  brothers  Adam,  whose 
delicate  detail  and  fanciful  and  flowing  treatment  of 
design  may  yet  be  seen  in  some  of  the  old  houses  of 


74 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


London,  and  are  all  worthy  of  study  in  all  plaster 
decoration. 

Carton  pierre  and  canvas  plaster  are  both  of  French 
origin,  but  have  recently  been  largely  introduced  into 
this  country  by  Messrs.  Jackson  and  Son,  of  Rathbone 
Place,  and  are  well  adapted  for  general  ceiling  decora- 
tion, as  both  can  be  laid  on  the  existing  plaster  work. 
Good  decoration  can  be  obtained,  at  moderate  cost,  by 
the  use  of  canvas-plaster  work  in  low  relief  patterns, 
either  made  to  cover  the  whole  ceiling,  or  in  panels, 
with  low  flat  mouldings,  similar  to  those  in  many  of 
the  old  houses  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  cen- 
turies ;  and  the  material  is  specially  fitted  for  boldly 
relieved  work  in  decorative  friezes,  a  good  effect  being 
obtained  by  treating  the  background  in  delicate  tones 
of  grey,  or  green,  or  golden  yellow,  and  leaving  the 
enrichment  white. 

Just  eighteen  centuries  ago,  within  the  ancient 
streets  of  Pompeii  might  have  been  seen  the  luxury 
and  splendour  of  art  form  and  colour  as  applied  to 
house  decoration.  And  if  we  cannot  always  accept 
the  art  work  as  the  best  of  its  kind,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  Pompeii  was  but  a  second-class  town,  and  so 
could  not  probably,  in  its  school  of  art  workmen,  com- 
mand the  highest  excellence  in  design  or  painting  ;  yet 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


75 


we  may  learn  from  the  illustrations  of  the  general 
decorative  treatment  of  its  houses,  both  externally  and 
internally,  much  that  might  well  be  applied  to  modern 
houses  in  our  own  day.  The  excavations  which  have 
from  time  to  time  been  carried  on  during  the  last 
half-century,  have  brought  to  light  marvellous  speci- 
mens of  mosaic  and  fresco  decorations,  all  showing 
great  skill  and  knowledge  of  grouping  and  composition, 
and  admirable  arrangement  of  light  and  shade.  The 
examples  of  friezes,  of  terra-cotta,  and  elaborate  plaster 
bas-relief,  and  fresco  decoration,  of  great  beauty  and 
richness,  might  surely  teach  us  something  of  decorative 
art,  and  from  these  examples  of  brilliant  colouring  and 
graceful  ornamentation,  we  might  do  well,  to  a  certain 
extent,  to  accept  some  hints  for  their  future  adaptation 
or  imitation,  externally  and  internally,  in  our  ordinary 
street  houses.  Let  me  not  be  mistaken  in  the  word 
'  imitation ' ;  I  do  not  mean  that  we  are  to  copy  in  our 
house  decoration  and  ornamentation,  examples  of  work 
which  express  only  designs  from  heathen  mythology 
or  stories  of  life  peculiar  to  an  age  of  luxury,  not 
always  moral  or  in  accordance  with  present  taste  ;  but 
in  the  graceful  drawing  of  ornamental  borders,  in  the 
careful  rendering  of  bright  and  delicate  colouring,  and 
in  the  general  treatment  of  decorative  design  in  plaster 


76 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


work,  we  may  learn  many  valuable  lessons  which  may 
help  us  in  our  own  day  and  generation. 

But  here  the  lesson  ceases  ;  we  do  not  want  nowa- 
days stories  of  heathen  mythology,  or  representations 
of  Greek  or  Roman  legends,  with  which  we  have  little 
or  no  sympathy  ;  we  may  well  be  sick  of  processional 
pictures,  representing  the  scenes  of  bygone  ages,  and 
of  endless  arrays  of  nymphs  and  heathen  gods  and 
goddesses,  whose  lives  suggest  subjects  and  scenes  not 
always  delicate  or  pure. 

I  see  no  reason  why,  in  the  houses  of  the  present, 
we  should  not  have  art  decoration  setting  forth  some 
well-known  events  in  the  history  of  the  country — stories 
telling  us  of  the  nobility  and  greatness  of  those  who 
have  helped  to  make  our  country  the  great  country 
that  it  is. 

Why  should  not  painters  teach  us  peace,  and  good 
will,  and  charity,  instead  of  the  everlasting  nonsense 
of  the  *  Judgment  of  Paris/  or  the  '  Rape  of  the  Sa- 
bines,'  and,  in  simple  decorative  work,  in  good  draw- 
ing and  well-arranged  colouring,  help  to  make  our  walls 
beautiful  to  look  at,  and  examples  of  art  decoration, 
which  shall  hold  its  own  with  any  decoration  of  past 
ages. 

In  the  examples  still  left  to  us  of  Pompeiian  work, 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


77 


we  cannot  but  notice  the  great  elegance  of  outline  and 
colouring  treated  with  a  master  hand,  without  violent 
or  exaggerated  contrasts  of  light  and  shade. 

Allegory  may  sometimes  be  charming,  and  teach  us 
some  real  truth,  but  surely  this  kind  of  subterfuge  is 
out  of  place  in  the  decoration  of  houses  in  this  nine- 
teenth century,  where,  at  least,  common  sense  overrides 
romance,  and  truth,  and  beauty  of  subject  and  form, 
should  take  the  place  of  sickly  sentimentalism  in  design 
and  treatment. 

Hogarth  and  Cruikshank  have  given  us  caricatures, 
some  of  which,  at  their  best,  are  neither  pleasant  in 
their  treatment  nor  altogether  honest  in  their  render- 
ing, and  which,  even  if  true,  set  forth  scenes  which  are 
wanting  in  refinement  and  delicacy,  and  show  us  the 
worst  and  most  brutal  side  of  human  nature.  Both 
men  were  artists  of  the  highest  kind,  but  both,  to  my 
mind,  failed  in  their  caricatures  generally  from  the  over- 
coarseness  and  exaggeration  of  their  designs.  If  art  is 
worth  having  at  all,  it  should  be  beautiful,  and  portray 
grace  and  beauty  of  thought  and  colouring,  with  sub- 
jects emphasising  the  better  life  that  is  in  us,  and 
not,  like  the  mawkish  novels  of  the  day,  pandering 
to  the  tastes  of  those  whose  thoughts  would  seem  to 
be  in  licence  and  indelicacy,  or  which  nauseate  us  with 


78 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


all  the  gross  exaggeration  and  detail  of  vulgar  show 
or  gross  profanity. 

The  President  of  the  Royal  Academy,  Sir  Fred- 
erick Leighton,  Mr.  Marks,  R.A.,  Mr.  Poynter,  R.A., 
Mr.  Armstrong,  Mr.  Albert  Moore,  and  other  well- 
known  painters,  have  shown  us  what  can  be  done  in 
decorative  work  ;  and  although  much  of  the  work  done 
by  these  painters  has  been  in  the  ornamentation  of 
monumental  work,  rather  than  in  the  interiors  of  ordinary 
rooms,  they  have  shown  us  that  there  are  painters  in 
the  present  day  who  can  do  work  of  the  highest 
character  of  design  and  decoration.  In  Mr.  Marks' 
work  we  have  quaint  and  humorous  examples  of  good 
decorative  treatment  adapted  for  humble  requirements 
and  humble  means. 

For  us,  it  is  perhaps  unfortunate  that  the  greater 
inducement  of  painting  easel  pictures  should  prevent 
such  men  as  these  giving  more  time  to  decorative 
work  ;  we  can  only  hope  that  with  the  increased  de- 
mand for  and  delight  in  real  art  work  in  our  houses, 
ere  long  a  school  may  be  founded  of  young  artists 
who  will,  at  fairly  moderate  cost,  be  willing  and  glad 
to  do  purely  decorative  work. 

I  see  no  reason  why  the  question  which  was  asked 
in  an  article  in  a  late  number  of  the  1  Nineteenth 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


79 


Century/  'Is  a  great  School  of  Art  possible  in  the 
present  day  ? '  should  not  be  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive, and  I  believe  that  to  a  great  extent  the  conditions 
and  view  of  present  life  are  '  such '  (to  use  Mr.  Watts' 
own  words)  'as  might  fairly  encourage  and  create  a 
school — a  group  of  painters,  sculptors,  and  architects, 
whose  work  collectively  should  have  a  force  marking 
the  age  in  which  they  live,  becoming  part  of  the  history 
of  the  country  to  which  they  belong,  and  existing  in  the 
future  as  a  lasting  monument  of  the  best  feelings  and 
thoughts  of  the  present  time.' 

There  is,  I  fear,  at  present,  among  artists  a  want 
of  that  true  sympathy  in  each  other's  work,  and  of 
that  appreciation  of  and  respect  for  each  other's  talent, 
which  alone  can  lead  to  true  association  of  labour  and 
fraternity  of  toil. 

Art  decoration  is,  as  a  rule,  treated  as  easel  picture 
work,  with  figures  modelled  and  rounded,  and  with 
landscapes  and  perspective  drawing  and  modelling, 
utterly  at  variance  with  true  decorative  work.  I  do 
not  suppose  that  any  painter  of  eminence  could  afford 
to  paint  decoration,  if  the  work  is  to  be  entirely  of  his 
own  hand  ;  but  I  see  no  reason  why  the  master  hand 
should  not,  with  pleasure  and  profit  to  himself  and 
those  associated  with  him,  and  in  conjunction  with  the 


So 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


architect,  design  and  complete  good  and  artistic  decora- 
tion at  a  fairly  moderate  cost. 

The  master's  work  should  consist,  in  conjunction 
with  the  architect,  in  designing  the  general  scheme,  in 
adding  such  touches  and  drawing  as  may  be  neces- 
sary to  the  work  when  drawn  at  large  on  the  wall  or 
canvas,  and  in  generally  superintending  its  proper 
filling  in,  colouring,  and  finishing,  always  remembering 
that  true  decoration  for  walls  and  ceilings  consists  in 
good  general  arrangement  and  grouping  of  figures 
and  foliage,  and  in  broad  flat  treatment,  so  that  the 
general  effect  of  the  work,  when  finished,  may  depend 
upon  good  drawing,  graceful  arrangement,  and  simple 
harmonious  colouring,  rather  than  oh  laboured  minute- 
ness of  detail  or  elaboration  of  finish. 

It  too  often  happens  that  when  a  painter  works 
at  decorative  work,  he  draws  and  completes  it  in  his 
studio,  seeing  nothing  of  the  surroundings  and  propor- 
tion of  the  room  for  which  the  work  is  intended,  and 
to  him  it  becomes  more  or  less  an  easel  picture,  to  be 
looked  at  always  on  the  eye  line,  and  is  laboured  and 
finished  in  strength  of  colour  and  detail,  utterly  un- 
necessary, and  when  placed  on  the  wall  the  effect  is 
unsatisfactory,  and  either  the  work  itself,  or  the  general 
decoration  of  the  room,  has  to  be  toned  down  in  order 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


Si 


to  secure  that  harmony  of  colouring  and  treatment  so 
necessary  for  all  good  artistic  decoration. 

I  am  sanguine  enough  to  believe  that  art  decoration 
can  be  done  well,  and  at  a  cost  within  all  our  means, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  to  the  pleasure  and  profit  of 
every  one  connected.    I  see  no  reason  why  our  best 
painters  should  not  help  us  in  the  revival  of  decorative 
work  in  the  real  artistic  painting  of  the  rooms  we  live 
in,  and  the  houses  we  dwell  in,  even  as  Fra  Angelico, 
Giotto,  Corregio,  Michael  Angelo,  and  many  other 
great  masters  did  in  days  gone  by.    Why  should  not 
our  rooms  contain  life  stories  of  noble  deeds,  of  good 
works,  of  home  scenes,  such  as  would  appeal  to  the 
better  life  that  is  in  all  of  us,  and  remind  us  of  some 
good  work,  some  noble  truth  ?    Why  should  we  not 
set  forth  on  our  walls  some  of  the  scenes  from  Chau- 
cer, Spenser,  Shakespeare,  Tennyson,  or  other  poets  ? 
Surely  they  would  furnish  us  with  ample  variety  of 
subject  grave  or  gay,  and  the  lessons  and  home  truths 
would  be  made  more  intelligible  and  more  beautiful  by 
pictorial  representation. 

'  You  will  say  that  this  is  all  very  well  for  family 
houses  which  are  handed  down  from  father  to  son, 
and  in  which  the  art  so  produced  is  a  part  of  the  in- 
heritance; but  even  in  the  every-day  houses  of  town 

G 


82 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


in  which  we  rest  to-day  and  are  gone  to-morrow,  some 
such  work  can  be  done  on  panel  or  canvas,  and  remain 
as  much  our  own  property  as  the  pictures  or  drawings 
that  we  hang  on  the  walls.  One  such  decorative  sub- 
ject, done  under  the  supervision  of  a  good  painter,  is 
worth  all  the  prettiness  of  decorative  work  in  gold  and 
colour,  or  all  the  bad  ornament  of  conventional  form 
which  money  can  buy,  or  mere  decorators  can  design 
for  you  ;  and  one  such  work  of  pure  decorative  art  will 
give  more  pleasure  than  all  the  stamped  leather  or 
bric-a-brac  with  which  so  many  of  us  delight  to  load 
our  walls.  It  is  better  to  have  a  room  decorated  by 
the  hand  of  a  master,  than  all  the  industrious  pattern 
work  which  hands  can  make  ;  for  if  1  life  without  in- 
dustry is  guilt,'  ' industry  without  art  is  brutality.' 

I  believe  there  are  many  amongst  our  younger 
painters  who  would  gladly  help  us  in  our  work,  and  it 
is  well  to  remember  that  the  fame  and  the  honour  of 
many  of  the  great  masters  of  olden  days  rest  more 
upon  the  purely  decorative  work  they  left  behind  them, 
than  on  any  amount  of  easel  pictures  ;  that  the  fres- 
coes they  painted  are,  after  long  centuries,  still  left  to 
us  to  study  and  admire,  when  the  mere  moveable  can- 
vases are  lost  or  destroyed. 

It  would  perhaps  be  impertinent  for  me  to  suggest 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


83 


that  the  Royal  Academy  might  do  something  towards 
providing  for  and  fostering  a  school  of  decorative 
painting,  but  I  venture  to  think  that  they,  with  all 
their  great  wealth  and  power,  could  do  more  than  any 
private  individual  towards  providing  for  a  real  and 
national  school  of  decorative  painting  ;  their  students 
would  be  continually  adding  new  blood,  and  from  a 
mere  business  point  of  view  the  younger  painters 
would  find,  that  not  only  money,  but  fame  and  reputa- 
tion, would  be  equally  well  attained  by  decorative  work, 
as  by  painting  easel  pictures,  or  illustrating  books  or 
newspapers,  and  thus  eventually  we  should  be  able  to 
obtain,  at  moderate  cost,  a  higher  character  of  artistic 
decoration  throughout  the  country,  and  to  bring  art 
work  within  the  reach  of  thousands,  where  at  present 
it  is  only  to  be  obtained  by  those  with  whom  price  is 
no  object. 

It  is  all  nonsense  saying  that  this  kind  of  work  is 
for  the  tradesman  decorator,  and  not  for  the  artist 
himself.  I  take  it  the  selling  of  a  picture  is  as  much  a 
matter  of  business,  as  much  a  matter  of  profit  and  loss, 
as  any  other  work  of  human  brain  and  hand.  The 
artist  is,  or  should  be,  as  much  a  man  of  business  as 
any  other  good  member  of  society,  and  it  is  a  mis- 
fortune to  himself  and  his  clients  when  he  is  not ;  and 

G  2 


84 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


as  a  mere  matter  of  business,  he  may,  if  he  will,  find  it 
worth  his  while  to  dedicate,  in  part,  the  thoughts  of  his 
fertile  brain  and  the  work  of  his  facile  hand  and  brush 
to  decorative  design  for  every-day  homes,  instead  of 
confining  himself  to  the  narrow  arena  of  his  own  par- 
ticular studio.,  and  seeing  no  further  than  the  subject 
of  one  particular  canvas,  confined  within  the  limits  of 
the  frame  that  surrounds  it. 

I  am  indebted  to  my  friend,  Mr.  Marks,  R.A.,  who, 
some  ten  years  ago,  was  good  enough  to  paint  the 
decorative  figure  friezes  in  my  own  house,  for  taking 
up  this  subject  in  a  business-like  and  tangible  manner, 
and  to  show  his  approval  of  what  I  have  for  years 
been  advocating,  by  doing  what  he  called  two  or 
three  'show  cards'  to  illustrate  this  portion  of  my  lecture. 
The  sketch  of  one  of  these  forms  the  subject  of  the 
illustration  Plate  V.,  and  I  submit  is  an  admirable 
example  of  what  simple  decorative  work  in  the  hands 
of  a  master  may  be.  It  consists  of  treatment  of  birds 
and  foliage  in  oil  or  tempora,  worked  out  in  a  natural- 
istic form  in  a  purely  decorative  manner  of  treatment. 
The  general  scheme  of  colouring  is  intended  to  be  blue, 
delicate  pink,  grey  and  green,' as  rendered  by  the  sky, 
the  birds — flamingoes — the  stonework,  and  the  plants. 
The  blue  would  be  repeated  in  a  deeper  tone  in  the 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


85 


pots,  and  of  course  the  colouring  might  be  varied  or 
altered  to  suit  the  tone  of  the  general  decoration  of  the 
room.  This  is  of  course  only  suggestive,  and  may  be 
amplified  or  simplified  to  any  extent,,  either  in  combi- 
nation with  figure  work,  which  adds  to  the  cost,  or 
without  it.  The  panel  was  designed  by  the  master 
hand,  but  generally  enlarged  and  carried  out  from  the 
sketch  by  young  students  under  the  supervision  of  the 
master ;  and  in  this  spirit  of  true  association  of  master 
and  student  a  highly  satisfactory  result,  to  my  mind, 
has  been  obtained,  namely,  good  art  combined  with 
moderation  of  cost. 

There  are  innumerable  other  birds  which  form 
excellent  subjects  for  frieze  decoration,  and  which  can 
be  treated  naturally,  in  combination  with  simple  foliage 
and  artistic  arrangement  of  pots  and  flowers,  so  as  to 
form  an  exceedingly  beautiful  decoration  for  the  upper 
part  of  the  walls  of  a  dining-  or  drawing-room,  or  lady's 
boudoir  ;  and  are,  if  well  drawn  and  coloured,  emi  - 
nently adapted  for  all  decorative  work.  Amongst 
others  I  may  mention  some  of  those  which  formed 
the  subjects  of  an  admirable  series  of  decorative 
panels,  lately  completed  by  Mr.  Marks  for  the  Duke  of 
Westminster  ;  namely,  the  scarlet  ibis,  various  kinds 
of  cranes,  gulls   and  herons,  cockatoos   and  other 


86 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


tropical  and  bright-plumaged  birds,  with  swallows  and 
various  other  small  birds  common  to  our  own  streets 
and  hedgerows.  All  these,  carefully  drawn,  gracefully 
arranged  by  the  hand  of  an  artist,  and  treated  in  flat 
tones  of  colour  in  outline,  can  in  combination  with 
figures,  flowers,  and  foliage,  or  without,  be  used  in  any- 
decorative  friezes  or  in  panels,  with  excellent  effect. 

If  the  narrowness  of  worldly  circumstances  prevents 
us  from  having  figure  decoration  in  our  rooms,  we  may 
still  have,  in  distemper  or  other  media,  panels  of 
coloured  decoration  of  birds,  or  other  natural  objects, 
treated  simply  and  inexpensively  so  as  to  come  within 
the  means  of  us  all. 

In  my  future  lectures,  I  shall  deal  more  definitely 
with  panel  and  wall  decoration  applied  to  special  rooms 
and  situations. 

In  concluding  this,  my  second  address,  I  suggest 
for  your  consideration  whether  it  is  not  desirable,  from 
mere  economical  motives,  to  decorate  your  rooms  a 
little  more  artistically ;  if  the  walls  be  of  the  usual  bare 
type  of  one  pattern  paper  or  paint,  you  must  do  some- 
thing to  hide  their  bald  and  cold  appearance  by  hang- 
ing on  them  engravings,  pictures,  or  other  artistic 
objects.  How  much  better,  then,  would  it  be  to  spend 
the  same  money  in  having  some  really  good  art  deco- 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


87 


ration,  which  should  be  a  source  of  continual  pleasure 
and  delight ! 

In  our  dreary  London  rooms  there  might  be 
internal  light  and  colour,  that  should  help  to  make  us 
almost  unmindful  of  the  dinginess  and  smoke  without, 
and  add  much  to  the  comfort  and  home-like  feeling 
which  good  colour,  good  design,  and  good  taste  cannot 
fail  to  give. 


88 


LECTURE  III. 

FURNITURE. 

The  subject  of  my  third  lecture  is  '  Furniture  ;  and 
although,  to  a  certain  extent,  I  propose  to  treat  it 
generally,  reserving  more  special  description  for  my 
next  two  lectures,  I  yet  hope  to  make  it  of  sufficient 
interest  to  warrant  me  in  keeping  you  for  the  time  in 
which  I  shall  address  you. 

It  is  probable  that  you  all  have  your  own  individual 
opinions  as  to  the  best  ways  of  furnishing  the  houses 
you  live  in,  and,  if  not,  you  may  possibly  say,  that  in 
these  days  of  '  Queen  Anne  '  architecture,  and  fine  art 
manufacture  of  all  kinds,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in 
obtaining  anything  that  is  wanted  of  fairly  good  taste, 
and  which  shall  combine  beauty  and  appropriateness  of 
form  and  design,  with  usefulness  and  comfort. 

If,  in  my  remarks,  I  fall  foul  of  the  mere  ordinary 
manufacturer  of  so-called  art  work,  it  must  be  distinctly 
understood  that  I  fully  recognise  the  important  progress 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE  OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  89 


made  by  such  firms  as  Messrs.  Jackson  and  Graham, 
Messrs.  Gillow,  Messrs.  Trollope  and  Sons,  and  other 
well-known  manufacturers,  who  have  practically  spared 
no  pains  to  produce  the  best  possible  work,  and  have 
brought  into  association  with  themselves  a  number  of 
artists,  of  high  repute  and  knowledge,  to  aid  them  in 
their  endeavours  to  give  to  the  public  furniture  of 
thoroughly  good  art  design,  comfortable  in  shape,  and 
sound  and  good  in  workmanship. 

My  quarrel  is  with  the  crowd  of  imitators  who, 
appealing  to  the  ignorance  of  the  public  rather  than 
to  their  taste,  endeavour  to  foist  upon  them  goods 
which  are  said  to  be  of  the  newest  fashion  of  some 
particular  style,  which,  like  all  other  fashions,  will  soon 
be  as  obsolete  as  the  imitations  of  the  1  sella  curulis ' 
and  the  bronze  '  bisellium  ' — to  which  we  were  so 
freely  treated  at  the  end  of  the  last  century — are 
at  the  present  day. 

As  I  said  of  decoration,  so  do  I  now  say  of  furni- 
ture, that  the  higher  art  cultivation  of  individuals,  and, 
as  a  sequence,  of  the  whole  community,  is  not  to  be 
arrived  at  by  setting  up  any  particular  style  or  fashion 
of  design,  or  by  the  narrow  dogmas  of  interested 
persons,  who,  regardless  of  expense,  insist  upon  the 
necessity  of  this  kind  of  wall  hanging,  or  that  shape  of 


90 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


chair  or  buffet,  and  who,  skilled  in  the  use  of  fine- 
sounding  phrases,  and  with  a  knowledge  of  the  baser 
elements  of  human  character — which  delight  in  slavish 
imitation  and  so-called  fashionable  conceits  of  a  passing 
style — seek  to  advertise  their  wares  as  '  Queen  Anne/ 
'  Old  English,'  or  1  Chippendale,'  '  Adams,'  or  mediaeval, 
and  appeal  more  to  the  ignorance  than  to  the  real  art 
knowledge  and  taste  of  society. 

The  word  furniture  in  its  ordinary  acceptation  and 
interpretation  *  represents  anything  that  is  moveable, 
transportable,  and  easy  to  place  in  security.' 

In  this  lecture,  I  propose  to  include  all  the  general 
fittings  of  a  house,  which,  to  a  certain  extent,  would 
nowadays  be  called  1  fixtures,'  such  as  mantels  and 
stoves,  hanging  closets  in  bedrooms,  shelving,  built-up 
buffets,  and  other  special  joiners'  work,  all  of  which,  I 
hope  to  show,  may  well  and  economically  take  the 
place  of  the  more  moveable  and  expensive  articles  ol 
furniture.  Let  me  say  here  that  there  is  no  absolute 
necessity  that  any  of  these  closets  or  shelf-clusters 
should  be  made  absolute  fixtures,  so  that  of  necessity 
they  become  the  property  of  the  landlord  at  the  end  of 
a  given  term  of  years  ;  they  can  all  be  made  separate 
and  distinct  to  fix  in  their  various  places,  screwed  into 
blocks  or  hanging  pieces  fixed  to  the  walls,  and  can,  if 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


9i 


not  bought  up  by  the  incoming  tenants,  be,  as  a  rule, 
removed  and  adapted  for  the  new  habitation. 

Under  the  present  unsatisfactory  terms  of  lease- 
hold tenure,  tenants  cannot  be  too  careful  in  the 
arrangement  of  fitted  furniture,  that  it  shall  not  come 
under  the  designation  of  '  fixtures/  and  thus  become 
the  property  of  the  landlord.  The  ordinary  class  of  land- 
lords offer  no  inducements  to  tenants  to  improve  their 
dwellings  ;  under  the  usual  clauses  of  dilapidations  and 
general  maintenance,  they  compel  the  tenant,  at  the 
end  of  a  seven  years'  lease,  to  entirely  repaint  and 
paper  their  property,  and  claim  all  fittings  that  may 
be  fixed  to  the  walls  as  their  own.  They  offer  no 
encouragement  to  a  careful  or  improving  tenant,  and 
as  a  rule  will  allow  nothing  for  improvements,  while 
too  often  the  unfortunate  tenant  finds,  when  it  is  too 
late,  that  he  has  taken  a  house  in  which  he  has  to  lay 
out  large  sums  of  money,  before  it  can  be  made  fairly 
habitable,  with  no  chance  of  getting  back  any  portion 
of  his  outlay  :  the  drains  are  found  utterly  wrong,  the 
miserable  deal  joiners'  work  is  glossed  over  with 
imitation  graining  of  other  woods,  the  still  worse  plaster 
work  is  made  to  look  fair  and  pleasant  to  the  eye  by  a 
coat  or  two  of  distemper,  and  the  wretched  scamping 
nature  of  the  work  only  becomes  apparent  after  the 


92 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


tenant  has  been  in  possession  a  few  months  and  has 
bound  himself  by  covenants,  which  will  not  only  materi- 
ally increase  his  annual  rent,  but  be  found  a  source  of 
continual  expense  and  annoyance  to  him  during  his 
tenure.  1  can  only  advise  any  one  proposing  to  take 
on  lease  one  of  the  ordinary  speculative  builders'  houses, 
to  take  care,  before  signing  any  deed,  that  the  house 
shall  be  properly  surveyed  and  reported  upon  by  some 
competent  surveyor,  or,  if  this  expense  be  thought  un- 
necessary, by  some  honest  and  qualified  builder. 

I  wish  particularly  to  advocate  the  greater  use  of 
plain  fitted  and  designed  furniture  for  recesses  in 
various  rooms,  as  they  can  be  made  at  much  less  cost 
than  the  usual  moveable  furniture,  can  be  adapted  to  the 
general  character  of  the  rooms,  and  if  made  as  I  shall 
hereafter  describe  will  save  much  labour  in  dusting 
and  cleaning,  and  will  not  form  resting-places  for  the 
dirt  and  filth  that  accumulate,  in  most  houses,  on  the 
tops  of  wardrobes  and  other  pieces  of  furniture,  the 
height  of  which  prevents  their  being  constantly  dusted 
and  kept  clean. 

In  the  furniture  made  by  our  best  manufacturers, 
there  is  evinced  a  careful  regard  for  grace  and  harmony 
of  design,  combined  with  use  and  suitability  ;  and  this 
must  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  the  designers  are 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


93 


not  mere  designers  of  chairs,  tables,  and  curtain  hang- 
ings, but  men  who,  like  the  artists  of  the  Middle  Ages, 
believe  that  every  creation  of  design  should  be  as 
honestly  and  thoroughly  thought  out,  whether  it  be  the 
smallest  fitting  of  a  house,  the  commonest  colouring  of 
a  wall,  or  the  decoration  of  the  smallest  panel  of  a  buffet 
or  cabinet,  as  the  most  gorgeous  edifice,  the  most  ex- 
quisite painting,  or  the  most  noble  piece  of  sculpture. 
Quite  certain  it  is  that  no  good  work  can  be  produced 
by  the  cramped  efforts  of  designers,  who  see  nothing 
beyond  the  mere  buffet,  chair,  or  table  they  may  be 
working  upon,  and  who  cannot  realise  or  conceive  the 
proportion  and  place  each  piece  is  to  take  in  the  general 
arrangement  of  the  room  or  building  it  is  designed  for. 

It  will  be  well  for  all  English  art,  when  architects, 
sculptors,  and  painters,  like  the  artists  of  the  Renais- 
sance age,  consider  nothing  too  small  or  insignificant 
to  engage  their  thoughts  and  artistic  skill  :  when,  like 
them,  they  shall  in  no  wise  consider  it  derogatory  to 
their  rank  to  think  out  and  design  the  lowliest  piece  of 
furniture,  or  the  pattern  or  colouring  of  the  smallest 
article,  whether  of  wall-hanging,  floor-covering,  or 
general  fittings  of  a  room. 

As  in  decoration,  so  also  in  furniture,  the  art 
student  and  workman,  as  well  as  the  general  public, 


94 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


are  largely  indebted  to  the  various  exhibitions  and  loan 
collections  which  have  from  time  to  time  been  formed 
in  this  country  and  abroad,  during  the  last  thirty  years, 
for  a  more  general  knowledge  of  the  furniture  of  past 
ages,  and  for  the  opportunity  thus  given  for  careful 
study  and  comparison  of  the  work  of  various  epochs. 
The  vast  number  of  good  examples  brought  together 
at  South  Kensington  offer  not  only  an  opportunity  to 
the  sightseer  to  improve  his  knowledge  of  ancient  work, 
but  give  the  art  workman  and  designer  a  chance  of 
studying  the  characteristics  of  design  and  construction 
in  the  numerous  beautiful  objects  thus  brought  together, 
and  have,  without  doubt,  imperceptibly  imbued  them 
with  a  higher  feeling  for  beauty  and  truthfulness  of 
design,  and  led  to  greater  skill  of  handicraft,  in  the 
work  of  the  various  trades,  especially  cognate  to  the 
chief  art  of  architecture. 

Furniture  has,  in  all  ages,  to  a  great  extent, 
followed  the  fashion  or  style  of  the  architecture  of  the 
period  ;  both,  in  early  times,  were  made  to  conform  to 
the  customs  and  requirements  of  the  people  of  the 
particular  age. 

It  is  true  that,  after  the  golden  age  of  the  early 
Renaissance,  when  all  the  great  arts  of  architecture, 
sculpture,  and  painting  were  combined  in  one  great 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


95 


and  harmonious  effort,  the  sister  arts  of  painting  and 
sculpture  became  more  or  less  severed,  and  began  to 
start  into  independent  life  and  existence. 

After  the  sixteenth  century,  in  furniture,  as  in  archi- 
tecture, there  was  a  manifest  decline  in  its  artistic 
character,  proportion,  and  beauty,  in  favour  of  a  de- 
generate taste  in  design,  and  great  exaggeration  and 
capricious  eccentricity  of  form  and  treatment,  until  in 
the  eighteenth  century  there  was,  for  a  brief  period,  a 
return  to  greater  simplicity  and  soberness  of  design 
and  form. 

The  reaction  from  the  voluptuousness  and  exuber- 
ance of  the  past  century,  brought  back,  for  a  while, 
greater  and  better  taste  in  all  design,  and  a  seeming 
desire  to  return  to  the  grace  and  beauty  of  delicate 
classic  character  and  feeling. 

Still  later,  the  designs  of  furniture,  as  well  as  of 
decoration,  were,  to  a  great  extent,  principally  copied 
from  the  wall  paintings  of  Pompeii ;  this  fashion,  how- 
ever, had  but  a  short  and  fitful  life,  degenerating  in  a 
few  years  into  feeble  prettinesses,  false  construction 
and  taste,  and  great  extravagance  of  cost ;  each  indi- 
vidual followed  his  or  her  own  caprice,  and  furnished 
in  the  style  and  period  each  thought  best  ;  the  result 
was  a  lamentable  jumble  of  works,  exemplifying  no 


96 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


particular  conditions  of  life,  and  leaving  no  particular 
record  of  their  own,  or  of  the  feelings  of  the  age  to 
which  they  belong,  except,  perhaps,  a  bad  record  of 
absolute  copyism,  based  on  no  real  knowledge  of,  or 
regard  for,  the  style  of  any  particular  age,  but  sub- 
ject only  to  the  changes  of  individual  caprice  and 
fashion. 

While  we  cannot  but  admire  the  great  beauty  of 
design  and  workmanship  of  the  larger  and  more  im- 
portant pieces  of  furniture  of  past  ages,  and  may  be 
glad  to  become  possessors  of  them  as  works  of  art, 
even  as  we  may  delight  to  gather  around  us  examples 
of  beautiful  sculpture,  painting,  and  other  art  work  of 
bygone  ages,  we  can  hardly,  in  these  days,  desire  to 
imitate  their  luxury  or  costliness  of  make  or  design, 
and  although  we  may  welcome  them  as  charming 
additions  to  our  art  collections,  we  should,  I  take  it, 
hardly  desire  to  see  them  imitated  for  the  changed 
conditions  and  requirements  of  our  own  day. 

Altered  social  conditions  of  the  day  have  changed 
the  habits,  customs,  and  requirements  of  modern  society. 
Nowadays  our  cabinets  have  to  contain  beautiful  spe- 
cimens of  porcelain  and  pottery,  of  gold  and  silver, 
and  other  metal  work,  tissues,  and  other  objects  of  art, 
which  we  desire  to  be  seen  by  our,  friends,  and  not  to 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


97 


be  hid  away  behind  panelled  doors  or  elaborate  inlaid 
fronts. 

It  was  not  until  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century 
that  furniture  applied  to  every-day  use  became  general. 
It  would  be  outside  the  intention  of  the  present  course 
of  lectures  to  enter  more  at  large  into  any  description 
of  the  elaborate  carved  '  armoires,'  'dressoirs,'  or  side- 
boards— whence  our  term  ■  dresser  ' — or  high  chairs,  or 
'faldistoirs/  with  their  monumental  backs,  the  revolving 
desks,  or  ( wheels,'  used  for  the  purpose  of  keeping 
books  and  manuscripts  within  reach,  the  'lecterns/  and 
other  similar  pieces  of  furniture  of  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries ;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  although 
highly  elaborate  in  their  design  and  workmanship,  they 
were  made,  as  a  rule,  conformable  to  the  requirements 
and  luxurious  tastes  of  the  day,  and  were,  with  all  their 
elaboration,  thoroughly  and  entirely  adapted  for  the 
purposes  for  which  they  were  designed. 

M.  Jacquemart,  in  his  most  interesting  and  ex- 
haustive history  of  furniture,  enters  at  large  into  the 
description  of  the  furniture  of  past  ages,  and  the  various 
alterations  in  ways  of  living,  which  practically  brought 
about  the  changes  in  furniture  design  and  arrangement. 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  my  lecture,  it  is  well  to 
notice  how  gradually  the  simple  pieces  of  furniture  of 

H 


98 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


the  earliest  times  became  amplified  and  enlarged  to 
meet  the  more  luxurious  requirements  of  more  modern 
times.    To  quote  M.  Jacquemart  : — 

'  The  "  credence,"  a  simple  table  for  writing  or 
tasting  provisions,  as  its  name  indicates,  becomes  an 
elegant  cupboard  breast  high,  often  with  flaps,  and  a 
small  under-shelf ;  then  it  is  completed  by  a  back-piece, 
and  even  by  a  shelf,  passing  on  thus  to  the  form  of  the 
buffet.  "  This  latter  name  was  originally  "  given  to  the 
room  destined  to  contain  the  most  valuable  plate  ;  later 
on  it  was  applied  to  a  piece  of  furniture  serving  the 
same  purpose,  and,  by  analogy,  to  the  articles  which 
decorated  it.  .  .  .  The  "dressoir"  or  "etagere"  differed 
little  from  the  buffet,  large  pieces  of  gold  plate  and 
other  sumptuous  articles  were  exposed  there,  the 
number  of  the  shelves  was  fixed  by  etiquette,  ac- 
cording to  the  rank  of  the  persons.' 

Then  there  were  chairs  or  1  chaieres '  plain  and 
folding,  revolving  chairs  (chaises  a  pivots),  and  the  gos- 
siping-chair  [chaise  caquetoire),  somewhat  analogous  to 
the  '  causeuses  '  of  modern  times  ;  then  there  were  the 
double-bodied  presses  or  '  armoires,'  or  cabinets  turned 
into  cupboards  with  folding  doors,  tables,  beds,  and 
seats  of  all  description. 

Later  on,  China  and  Japan  contributed  to  the 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


99 


furniture  of  the  houses  of  the  wealthy,  various  small 
pieces  of  furniture  '  de  luxe,'  of  red,  gold,  and  black 
lacquer ;  India  and  Persia,  a  variety  of  pieces  in 
sculptured  and  sandal  wood,  and  elaborate  'pique'  or 
inlaid  work;  Italy,  its  gorgeous  specimens  of  carved, 
incrusted,  and  inlaid  ivory,  mosaic,  and  marquetry 
work,  until  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries 
we  descend  to  the  extravagance  of  design  and  orna- 
mentation in  bulbous-shaped  forms,  overlaid  with  tor- 
toiseshell,  and  gilt  and  chased  metal  work  of  all  descrip- 
tions, with  all  the  gingerbread  and  show  of  twisted  and 
curled  mouldings,  and  elaborate  mirrors ;  all  these 
articles  were  made  more  for  show  than  real  use  :  in 
them  (to  quote  M.  Jacquemart) — 

'  Form  usurps  unheard-of  licence,  every  object 
swells  itself  to  assume  fantastic  curves  ;  nothing  is 
straight  or  regular  ;  angles  are  rounded  and  hollowed  ; 
unlooked-for  sinuosities  furrow  the  surfaces  ;  bulged, 
twisted,  caricatured  forms  are  alone  admitted,  and 
above  sprouts  bronze  vegetation  with  unnatural  endive 
foliage  ;  brass  gilded  with  ormolu,  rolls  along  in 
fantastic  borders,  or  gathers  suddenly  in  unforeseen 
clusters,  and  thus  an  eccentric  whole  is  completed, 
which,  while  always  clever,  is  sometimes  elegant  not- 
withstanding its  singularity.  .  .  .  Caprice  is  carried  to 

H  2 


IOO 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


such  an  extent  that  the  fundamental  law  of  art — pro- 
priety— is  totally  forgotten.' 

The  period  of  Louis  XVI.  brought  back  uphol- 
sterers to  sobriety  and  simplicity,  and  the  characteristics 
of  the  delicate  artistic  designs  and  workmanship  of 
this  time  are  influencing  the  revival  of  art  furniture 
to  a  large  extent  in  England,  combined  with  the  works 
of  the  English  designers — Sheraton,  Chippendale,  and 
Adams,  whose  designs  are  being  now  largely  produced 
to  suit  the  present  fashion  of  architecture,  yclept 
1  Queen  Anne.' 

In  Plate  VI.  I  give  an  illustration  of  a  group 
of  furniture  made  by  Messrs.  Holland,  after  old 
examples  by  Sheraton,  Adams,  and  Chippendale.  The 
sideboard  of  Spanish  mahogany,  7  ft.  6  in.  long,  with 
straight  front  and  slightly  elliptic  ends,  and  shaped 
and  panelled  back,  is  an  exceedingly  good  specimen  of 
modern  work  after  Sheraton,  and  is  of  the  highest  skill 
in  workmanship  and  general  design,  being  richly  inlaid 
with  satin  and  various  coloured  woods.  The  chair 
and  writing-table  are  both  good  examples  of  the  adap- 
tation of  the  eighteenth-century  designs  to  modern 
furniture,  and  have  been  selected  to  show  that  good 
modern  upholsterers  are  endeavouring  to  imitate  the 
grace  and  elegance  of  design  of  the  work  of  this  parti- 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


101 


cular  date,  and  to  combine  with  it  exceeding  excellence 
of  workmanship.  In  thus  reverting  back  to  a  period 
of  general  artistic  merit  in  form  and  decoration,  we  may- 
expect  that  they  will  ere  long  be  able  and  willing  to 
provide  furniture  of  equally  good  form  and  design, 
but  less  elaborate  in  ornament  and  decoration,  out  of 
simpler  and  less  expensive  woods  at  a  moderate  price ; 
for  I  venture  to  hope  that,  when  once  the  love  of  and 
taste  for  furniture  of  graceful  form  and  ornamenta- 
tion are  more  largely  disseminated,  all  good  manufac- 
turers will  find  it  worth  their  while  to  provide  inex- 
pensive furniture  for  the  million,  and  will  eventually 
oust  from  their  show-rooms  the  inartistic  and  generally 
commonplace  examples,  which  are  now  made  up  to  suit 
the  demands  of  the  depraved  taste  of  the  uneducated 
public. 

In  the  work  of  Chippendale,  we  see  great  careful- 
ness of  construction,  general  comfort,  and  suitability 
of  form  and  arrangement,  although  in  many  of  his 
designs  there  is  a  manifest  imitation  of  French  or 
Chinese  ornament  and  form,  which  is  anything  but 
satisfactory,  and  the  elaborate  and  delicate  fretwork 
and  carving  naturally  tend  to  make  any  imitation 
of  his  designs  expensive. 

As  a  type  of  old  work  suitable  to  houses  of  the 


102 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


present  day,  there  is  much  in  the  modern  imitation  of 
Chippendale  work  which  commends  itself  to  the  pre- 
sent style  of  house-building.  It  is  to  be  regretted, 
however,  that  the  craze  for  all  this  kind  of  work 
should  practically  not  only  give  the  dealers  the  chance 
of  charging  exorbitant  prices  for  old  examples,  but,  to 
a  certain  extent,  encourage  a  somewhat  extravagant 
idea  of  the  worth  of  modern  imitations. 

Heppelwhite  was  another  manufacturer  of  this 
period  who  endeavoured  to  combine  general  elegance 
of  design  with  comfort  and  suitability  of  form,  and 
whose  work  is  now  much  valued  by  connoissews  for 
its  general  goodness  of  make  and  design.  In  the 
work  of  both  these  makers,  solidity,  comfort,  and 
sound  construction  are  especially  noticeable,  while 
there  is  an  absence,  as  a  rule,  of  expensive  ornamen- 
tation, and  unnecessary  turning  and  cutting. 

Sheraton  was  another  maker  who,  in  the  beginning 
of  this  century,  brought  the  art  of  furniture  making 
into  high  repute,  and  whose  work  may  generally 
be  said  to  be  based  on  that  of  Heppelwhite  and 
Chippendale,  with  the  addition  of  painted  decoration 
inserted  in  friezes  and  pilasters. 

I  am  quite  aware  that  first-class  workmanship  is 
well  worthy  of  first-class  prices,  but  1  cannot  but 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


think  good  modern  upholsterers  might  give  us  furniture 
made  after  the  manner  and  form  of  the  makers  I  have 
*  named,  at  a  somewhat  less  extravagant  price  than 
that  generally  charged.  A  good  deal  of  the  unneces- 
sary carving  in  the  chair  backs  might  be  omitted^ 
and  while  the  general  excellence  of  the  designs,  as 
regards  form  and  comfort,  might  be  adhered  to,  they 
could  in  a  great  measure  be  simplified,  so  as  to  bring 
the  price  within  the  reach  of  all  of  us. 

A  good  dining-room  chair,  artistic  in  design,  com- 
fortable in  shape,  and  of  good  mahogany  or  oak, 
covered  with  leather,  or  other  good  wearing  stuff, 
ought  to  be  made  for  3/.  or  3/.  \os. 

I  was  indebted  to  Messrs.  Jackson  and  Graham, 
and  Messrs.  Gillow,  for  the  loan  of  some  exceedingly 
good  examples  of  modern,  so-called  Chippendale, 
Adams,  and  Sheraton  work,  which  form  the  subjects 
of  some  of  my  illustrations,  in  which  general  simplicity 
of  form,  and  honesty  of  construction  and  design,  are 
set  forth.  I  want  to  see  such  firms  as  these  give 
us  this  kind  of  work  at  a  more  moderate  price,  and 
I  see  no  reason  why  this  cannot  be  done. 

The  small  cabinet,  shown  in  Plate  VII.,  by 
Messrs.  Jackson  and  Graham  seems  to  me  to  combine 
general  artistic  merit  of  design  with  simplicity  and 


104 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


practical  common  sense  in  form  and  arrangement ;  it 
adapts  itself  equally  well  for  books  and  china,  with  well- 
arranged  cupboard  space  for  books  and  ladies'  work  ; 
the  fronts  of  these  cupboards  are  formed  with  Chinese 
paintings  on  panel,  exquisitely  drawn  and  tinted,  which 
harmonise  well  with  the  delicate  satin-wood  of  which 
the  cabinet  is  made.  The  supports  are  simply  turned, 
and  the  whole  design  is  free  from  all  the  unnecessary 
ornament  and  carving  which  form  so  large  and  so  ex- 
pensive an  item  in  most  modern  furniture.  Such  a 
cabinet  as  this  made  in  American  walnut  or  mahogany 
would  cost  about  16/.  The  little  occasional  table, 
shown  in  the  illustration,  is  strong  on  its  legs  and 
serviceable  in  shape,  and  can  be  made  for  about  30^. 
The  plain  armchair,  with  its  delicately  turned  legs  and 
framing,  and  with  split  willow-plaited  seat  stained  in 
different  colours,  cannot  be  called  expensive  at  30^.  ; 
and  is,  while  pleasant  to  look  at,  exceedingly  comfort- 
able in  shape. 

While  it  is  of  course  possible  for  those  whose 
means  are  unlimited  to  obtain  good  artistic  work,  the 
largely  increased  use  of  machinery  should  enable  us  to 
obtain  this  at  moderate  cost  ;  for  although  we  must 
necessarily  be  dependent  upon  skill  of  pure  handicraft 
for  many  articles  of  furniture  and  decoration,  there  is 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  105 

no  real  reason  why  machinery,  properly  applied,  should 
not  produce  good  work  for  the  million. 

After  all,  the  manufacturer  must  not  be  entirely 
blamed  for  extravagance  and  high  prices  ;  common 
sense  in  house  decoration  and  furnishing  has  not  yet 
been  arrived  at  by  the  majority  of  the  public.  They 
are  content  to  accept  advice  in  most  important  matters, 
but  imagine  that  they  can,  without  help,  furnish  and 
decorate  their  homes,  and  in  matters  of  taste  believe 
that  they  have  as  much  a  right  to  have  an  opinion 
as  the  skilled  professional  artist. 

This  want  of  plain  common  sense  often  leads  them 
to  avoid  asking  the  opinion  of  those  whom  they  may 
think  will  seek  to  over-ride  their  real  '  want  of  taste/ 
and,  as  physicians  of  art,  to  lead  their  judgment  from 
their  commonplace,  vulgar,  and  ofttimes,  probably, 
grossly  extravagant  ideas,  to  those  more  simple  and 
inexpensive.  Hence,  they  hand  themselves  over,  body 
and  soul,  to  some  inferior  decorator,  whom  they  think 
they  can  lead ;  who  begins  by  bowing  down  to  their 
own  expressed  whims  and  fancies,  flatters  their  vanity 
and  conceit,  and  ends  by  perpetrating  the  grossest  of 
anachronisms,  and  supplying  the  vulgarest  of  designs,  in 
decoration  and  furniture,  at  a  large  and  ofttimes  exces- 
sive outlay  of  money.    If  an  artist  offers  advice,  as  an 


io6 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


amicus  curicz,  unless  it  should  happen  that  it  be  in 
accord  with  the  wishes  of  the  individual,  he  will 
probably  be  politely  snubbed,  and  told  that  it  is  'a 
question  of  taste,'  and  that  he  or  she  knows  best  what 
he  or  she  likes.    Of  course  it  is  a  question  of  taste, 
but  of  educated  taste,  not  of  mere  whim  or  fancy.  I 
could  quote  innumerable  examples  of  this  utter  want  of 
common  sense.    I  quote  one  example  only.    I  heard 
of  a  lady  selecting  a  carpet,  and  when  told  that  the 
particular  pattern  was  ugly  in  design,  quietly  remark- 
ing, '  Ah  !  well,  you  know,  all  the  ugly  patterns  are 
the  fashion  now.'    Nonsense  such  as  this  only  shows 
the  gross  ignorance  and  conceit  of  a  large  proportion 
of  the  public,  and  the  influence  of  the  so-called  schools 
of  ignorant  decorators,  whose  dogmas  lead  to  the  end- 
less vulgarity  and  ignorance  of  much  modern  decora- 
tion and  furniture.    As  a  late  writer  on  art  (I  believe 
it  was  Mr.  Beavington  xA.tkinson),  in  a  very  careful  and 
critical  paper  on  '  Decorative  Art  applied  to  Domestic 
Uses,'  in  'Blackwood's  Magazine'  (March  1869),  truly 
said,  '  Few  persons  have  the  resolution  to  make  their 
houses  plain,  if  they  possess  the  means  of  loading  every 
wall  and  crowding  every  floor  with  ponderous  and  pom- 
pous decoration.    When  purchasers  abound  in  money, 
and  manufacturers  have  no  higher  ends  than  trade,  it 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


107 


is  to  be  feared  that  the  virtue  of  simplicity  will  in  vain 
make  her  voice  heard  in  our  dwellings.' 

Why  cannot  people  understand  that  good  taste  and 
simplicity  go  hand  in  hand  with  common  sense,  while 
eccentricities  and  extravagances  of  all  kinds  are  not 
only  vulgar,  but  senseless,  leading  to  all  kinds  of  ex- 
cesses, and  utterly  at  variance  with  the  better  instincts 
of  human  nature. 

'  I  know  what  I  like '  is  a  common  phrase,  but  with 
all  due  respect  I  unhesitatingly  assert  that  very  few 
people  do  know  what  they  like  in  matters  of  household 
taste,  and  are  led  into  constant  changes  and  expenses 
by  the  want  of  that  common  sense  which,  in  other 
matters  of  life,  they  may  possibly  possess. 

In  furniture  for  every-day  houses  we  want,  first  of 
all,  that  everything  shall  be  fitted  for  its  purpose,  shall 
not  be  extravagant  in  design,  shall  be  absolutely  useful, 
and,, if  it  be  a  chair  or  couch,  absolutely  comfortable. 
Cabinets  are  made  to  hold  collections  of  china,  and 
other  artistic  objects  ;  what  need,  therefore,  that  the 
case  which  contains  these  be  elaborately  carved  and 
gilt,  and  finished  with  endless  rows  of  tiny  turned 
balusters,  utterly  useless,  but  terribly  costly. 

Simple  framework  is  all  that  is  required,  with  glass 
enclosing  doors  to  protect  the  objects  from  dust ;  but 


io8  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


let  the  framework  be  as  unpretentious  as  possible;  and 
not  heavy  and  extravagant  in  elaboration,  moulding, 
or  carving,  utterly  out  of  place  and  character  with  its 
purpose. 

Tables  should  be  strong  and  well  made,  of  good 
seasoned  wood,  the  legs  plainly  and  inexpensively 
turned,  and  not  curved  into  absurdly  contorted  forms. 
All  elaboration  of  carving  and  moulding  is  utterly 
thrown  away  in  the  legs  of  a  chair  or  table,  which  are, 
as  a  rule,  hidden  from  view.  Care  should  be  taken 
that  the  table-legs  should  be  set  well  back,  so  as  not  to 
interfere  with  the  comfort  of  those  whose  places  may  be 
opposite  to  them.  As  a  rule,  the  present  telescopic 
arrangement  of  the  dining-room  table  is  most  suitable 
for  modern  requirements.  It  will  fold  up  to  a  mode- 
rate table  for  four  people,  or  will  expand  for  twenty,  or 
even  more.  I  cannot  accept  the  theories  of  those  who 
ask  us  to  adopt  the  old-fashioned  long-framed  table, 
which  may  yet  be  seen  in  many  an  old  hall  in  England. 
We  cannot  have  them  made  in  sets  of  various  sizes  to 
suit  different  requirements,  and  a  table  that  would 
hold  even  twelve  would  be  absurd,  as  a  general  rule, 
in  any  m  oderate-sized  dining-room.  It  is  this  kind 
of  crazing  after  old-fashioned  things,  without  discrimi- 
nating as  to  what  to  take  and  what  to  avoid,  which 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


109 


sets  so  many  sensible  people  against  all  ancient  forms 
and  examples. 

Chairs  should  be,  first  of  all,  comfortable,  made  to 
the  shape  of  the  back,  strong  and  sound  in  construction, 
with  no  projecting  carving  or  bossed-out  ornament  to 
torture  the  back,  and  no  lines  of  jagged  brass-headed 
pins  to  catch  and  tear  ladies'  dresses.  Chairs  and 
couches  should  be  comfortably  stuffed,  and  luxurious 
in  breadth  of  surface  for  rest  and  ease,  not  cramped 
and  stiff,  after  the  manner  of  the  designs  of  some  of 
our  so-called  advanced  schools  of  furniture  designers. 
Easy  chairs  should  mean  easy  chairs,  and  not  the 
miserable  shams  in  which  you  cannot  sit  or  rest  with 
comfort.  All  these  kind  of  couches  may  be  made  at 
moderate  cost,  providing  you  do  not  ask  for  elaborate 
turned  wood  framing,  which  not  only  adds  materially 
to  the  cost,  but  detracts  from  the  comfort  and  con- 
venience of  the  piece  of  furniture.  We  do  not  want 
sideboards  made  in  imitation  of  a  classic  shrine,  with 
wine  coolers  made  after  the  manner  of  Grecian  sarco- 
phagi. 

If  the  public  will  only  be  content  to  make  their 
houses  simple  and  plain,  instead  of  overloading  them 
with  heavy  and  costly  furniture — generally  not  only 
uncomfortable  and  expensive,  but  utterly  stiff  and  at 


I  IO 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


variance  with  any  home-like  feelings  of  comfort  and 
ease — we  might  hope  that  true  art  would  find  a  place 
in  all  our  homes,  and,  as  the  same  writer  in  the  article 
I  have  before  quoted  aptly  wrote  : — 

'If  a  man,  in  the  adorning  and  ordering  of  his 
house,  would  bring  a  few  grains  of  the  common  sense 
which  serves  him  so  well  in  the  counting-house,  then, 
at  all  events,  might  we  hope  to  see  banished  from  the 
hall,  the  dining-room,  and  the  drawing-room,  those 
vulgarities,  absurdities,  monstrosities,  which  so  often 
outrage  well-balanced  judgment  and  sin  against  sober 
taste.' 

The  dining-rooms  of  many  town  houses  are  arranged 
with  recesses  in  one  end  or  side,  in  which  obviously  it 
is  suggested  that  the  sideboard  shall  be  placed  ;  until 
quite  recently  these  so-called  '  sideboards,'  or  '  buffets,' 
consisted  of  two  flanking  cupboards,  with  an  open 
central  space  for  a  wine  cooler,  a  heavy  dresser  top 
with  two  or  three  drawers,  often  made  with  bulbous 
and  flowing  fronts,  and  the  whole  surmounted  by 
an  enormous  glass,  enclosed  within  a  heavy  frame, 
twisted  and  curled  and  carved  into  many  curious 
forms. 

The  art  was  bad,  the  construction  worse,  the 
expense  enormous,  and  the  arrangement  or  fitting-up, 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


in 


for  practical  purposes,  anything  but  satisfactory  ;  the 
usual  cellaret  in  one  cupboard  was  so  divided  that  the 
bottles  and  decanters  wobbled  about  in  them,  to  their 
own  imminent  risk  of  breakage,  and  certain  shaking-up 
of  their  contents  ;  the  shelves  were  so  divided  that  too 
much  space  was  left  for  some,  and  not  nearly  enough 
for  other  articles  usually  stowed  away  in  such  places  ; 
the  drawer  space  was  utterly  wasted,  and  little  or  no 
thought  was  taken  that  the  sideboard  should  be  fitted 
up  for  its  particular  purpose  and  use,  in  accordance 
with  the  requirements  of  an  ordinary  household. 

This  sketch  of  an  ordinary  dining-room  sideboard 
is  no  exaggeration.  Such  pieces  of  furniture  still  exist 
in  many  modern  houses  ;  nor  can  I  see  that  any  great 
amount  of  improvement  has  been  made  in  late  years  in 
this  essentially  necessary  part  of  the  furniture  of  a 
dining-room.  It  is  true  that  there  has  been  much 
greater  elaboration  in  the  designs  of  sideboards  or 
buffets  ;  carving,  turning,  and  '  balustrading ' — I  use 
the  term  to  represent  the  little  balconies  of  tiny- 
columns  with  which  so  many  of  the  new  designs  are 
embellished — have  been  amplified  ;  panels  have  been 
gorgeously  inlaid ;  and  the  cost  has  increased  in  pro- 
portion, so  that  a  buffet  of  moderate  size  will  cost 
from  50/.  to  100/.  at  least. 


112 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


Instead,  therefore,  of  all  this  piling  up  of  costly 
ornamentation  and  construction,  I  submit  that  as  a 
buffet  or  '  dressoir '  is  practically  for  use,  and  not  for 
show,  except  for  that  of  plate,  or  valuable  china  and 


glass,  the  general  design  might  be  very  much  simplified, 
and  that  a  good  useful  piece  of  furniture,  combining 
the  requisite  cupboards,  cellarets,  and  drawers,  properly 
arranged  for  their  several  purposes,  with  a  moderate 
sized  Venetian  glass  in  the  centre  of  the  back,  flanked 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


"3 


by  carefully  arranged  shelves,  and  glass-enclosed  cup- 
boards, for  holding  china  and  Venetian  glass,  for  show 
or  for  use,  might  be  made  of  mahogany,  wainscot,  or 
deal  painted,  free  from  elaborate  mouldings,  turning, 
or  carving,  but  good  in  form  and  general  design,  for  a 
considerably  less  sum  than  that  charged  for  any  moder- 
ate-sized sideboard  by  any  really  good  manufacturer. 

The  small  buffet  shown  in  sketch,  by  Messrs. 
Morris  and  Co.,  designed  by  Mr.  Webb,  is  well  suited 
for  a  small  room,  being  5  ft  long  by  about  16  in.  pro- 
jection, is  conveniently  fitted  up  with  useful  drawers 
and  cupboards,  and  with  sufficient  shelf  accommodation 
for  glass  and  china,  as  well  as  for  dinner  use.  Such  a 
piece  as  this  could  be  well  made  at  moderate  cost  in 
deal  or  pitch  pine,  and  be  either  stained  and  varnished 
or  lacquer-painted. 

How  many  professional  men  are  there  in  towns 
who  use  their  dining-rooms  for  professional  purposes 
during  the  day,  and  who  would  gladly  have  some  piece 
of  furniture  that  should  answer  for  the  double  purpose 
of  putting  away  books,  drawings,  engravings,  photo- 
graphs, or  papers,  and  for  the  general  dining-room 
use  ?  How  much  better,  therefore,  would  it  be  for 
any  one,  to  whom  a  piece  of  furniture  having  this  double 
use  would  be  invaluable,  to  state  his  special  require- 

1 


114 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


ments,  and  have  a  piece  of  furniture  designed  for  the 
purpose,  rather  than  to  hastily  purchase  that  which,  in 
too  many  instances,  answers  neither  purpose  quite 
satisfactorily. 

A  buffet  containing  drawers  for  engravings  or 
photographs,  cellaret  for  wine,  cupboards  with  con- 
venient fittings,  and  dresser  accommodation,  for  all  the 
necessary  dining-room  paraphernalia,  with  shelves  or 
cupboards  over,  for  good  china  and  glass,  might  be 
made  quite  as  artistic,  and  much  more  inexpensively, 
than  the  elaborate  productions  which  we  see  nowa- 
days in  so  many  modern  dining-rooms. 

Serving  hatches  from  the  small  back  rooms,  or 
light  lifts  from  the  basement,  might  be  equally  well  in- 
corporated in  the  buffet,  and  thus  we  should  obtain  an 
eminently  useful  piece  of  furniture,  adapted  for  the 
work  of  the  day,  as  well  as  that  of  the  evening. 

Where  practicable,  a  good  useful  buffet  might  be 
made  to  fill  up  the  dining-room  recess,  of  painted  or 
stained  deal  or  pitch-pine,  at  a  comparatively  moderate 
cost,  in  which  might  well  be  provided  all  necessary 
accommodation  for  dining-room  purposes,  with  shelves 
for  the  display  of  plate  and  bric-d-brac^  cupboards 
with  glazed  doors  for  good  glass  or  other  objects  for 
show  or  use,  drawers  for  papers  or  drawings,  or  other 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


working  belongings  of  a  professional  man,  the  whole 
artistic  in  design  and  suitable  and  commodious  in 
arrangement,  without  any  of  the  useless  ornamentation 
with  which  modern  upholsterers  think  it  necessary  to 
overload  the  general  run  of  sideboards  they  offer  for  sale. 

In  Plate  VIII.  I  submit  a  sketch  of  a  buffet  such 
as  I  have  described,  which,  although  to  my  mind 
somewhat  over-elaborated  with  unnecessary  carving 
and  ornament,  combines  all  the  requisites  of  a  side- 
board for  general  dining-room  use,  with  shelves  for 
china  and  glass,  ample  space  for  dinner  or  breakfast 
service,  cellaret  for  wine,  drawers  for  table  linen  as 
well  as  for  drawings  or  instruments,  and  cupboards  for 
papers  ;  the  glass  is  of  sufficient  size  to  lighten  up  the 
room  without  being  ugly  or  vulgar  in  shape.  Such  a 
buffet  as  this,  made  simpler  in  design  by  the  omission 
of  some  of  the  unnecessary  carving  and  notchings, 
which  are  not  only  expensive  but  collect  dirt  and  dust, 
would  answer  all  the  purposes  I  have  described,  and 
ought  to  be  made  well  for  about  30/.  or  35/.  The 
same  illustration  shows  an  arrangement  of  a  simple 
matting  dado,  with  paper  centre  space  for  pictures,  and 
a  plain-coloured  distemper  frieze  over  divided  by  a 
small  moulding  or  picture-rail. 

Window  openings  are  not  half  utilised,  as  a  rule,  in 

1  2 


n6 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


sitting-rooms  ;  the  space  is  very  often  filled  up  by  a 
chair,  or  small  table,  altogether  in  the  way  ;  in  these 
window  recesses  might  be  made  comfortable  seats,  or 
divans,  amply  and  fully  stuffed  for  ease  and  comfort, 
covered  with  leather  or  stuff,  to  harmonise  with  the 
other  work  in  the  rooms  ;  and  the  seat  inside  might  be 
fitted  up  for  newspapers  or  magazines,  or,  in  the  bed- 
rooms, for  clothes,  bonnets,  or  any  other  special 
purpose  for  which  they  might  be  desired. 

Plain  deal-framed  seats  and  risers  are  all  that  are 
required,  properly  stuffed  and  covered ;  any  good 
joiner  or  upholsterer  would  make  these  at  a  very 
moderate  cost,  and  provide  you  with  not  only  com- 
fortable seats  but  useful  spaces  for  stowing  away  and 
preserving  all  sorts  of  things,  for  which  it  is  often  so 
difficult  to  find  room  in  a  town  house  of  ordinary 
dimensions. 

In  the  recesses  of  the  bedrooms  might  be  arranged 
hanging  closets  for  dresses,  with  shelves  for  linen, 
boxes  for  boots  and  bonnets,  and  the  numerous  articles 
of  dress  which  necessarily  accumulate  in  an  English 
household,  where  we  have  to  provide  for  all  sorts  of 
seasons,  and  can  hardly  ever  be  sure  of  whether  we 
want  spring,  summer,  or  winter  clothing.  A  simple 
deal  panelled  cupboard  front  is  all  that  is  required. 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


7 


The  centre  panel  might  be  filled  in  with  looking-glass 
down  to  the  ground,  like  an  ordinary  wardrobe,  the 
doors  divided,  so  as  not  to  be  cumbrous  or  heavy,  the 
whole  height  of  the  cupboard  being  from  7  to  8 
feet,  including  the  bonnet  or  boot  box  at  the  bottom 
and  the  shelf  at  the  top.  Between  the  top  of  this  and 
the  ceiling  the  space  should  be  filled  up  with  a  smaller 
cupboard,  with  shelves  for  stowing  away  surplus  clothes 
and  linen,  but  I  need  hardly  suggest  a  use  for  any  cup- 
boards or  shelves  ;  the  ladies  of  the  house  will,  I  am 
sure,  not  think  my  suggestions  useless.  My  object  in 
suggesting  the  filling  up  the  top  space  is  that  there 
shall  be  no  broad  surfaces,  such  as  those  left  at  the  top 
of  ordinary  wardrobes — which  are  seldom  or  ever 
really  dusted — for  the  accumulation  of  unhealthy  dust 
and  dirt.  It  is  only  necessary  to  ask  any  of  my 
readers  to  examine  the  tops  of  any  of  their  ward- 
robes or  bookcases  in  their  sitting  or  bedrooms,  and 
if  they  are  not  somewhat  astonished  with  what  they 
will  find,  I  will  confess  my  error  in  thus  strongly 
objecting  to  what  I  call  traps  for  dirt  and  disease. 

I  might  suggest  innumerable  other  ways  of  adapting 
what  I  call  constructive  furniture  for  the  various  rooms 
in  a  town  house,  which  could  be  carried  out  at  compara- 
tively small  cost.    The  cupboard  fronts  I  have  here  sug- 


n8  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


gested  could  be  made  in  deal,  painted,  for  a  few  pounds  ; 
the  cost  of  the  inside  fittings,  of  course,  would  vary 
according  to  what  was  required,  but  with  a  little  thought 
and  a  little  care  all  this  kind  of  constructive  furniture 
may  be  made  artistic  in  character,  easily  removeable, 
eminently  useful,  and  withal  inexpensive. 

The  additional  labour  entailed  in  most  houses  upon 
the  servants,  of  carrying  water  from  the  basement  to 
the  upper  floors,  or  even  from  one  floor  to  another, 
may  be  greatly  avoided  by  the  more  general  use  of 
fitted  lavatories  in  the  bed  and  dressing-rooms.  With 
these  a  constant  supply  of  water  can  be  obtained  at  any 
moment,  and  the  evils  of  broken  crockery,  and  water 
tepid  from  long  standing,  will  be  avoided.  This 
arrangement  must  not,  for  a  moment,  be  thought  of, 
unless  the  waste-pipes  can  be  carried  right  away,  so  as 
to  empty  free  into  the  open  air,  and  be  quite  discon- 
nected with  any  drains. 

The  first  expense  is  a  trifle  greater  than  that  of  good 
washstands  and  expensive  services  of  crockery,  but  the 
comfort,  not  to  say  the  luxury,  of  cold  and  hot  water  in 
constant  supply  in  ample  basins,  is  worth  all  the  extra 
cost,  to  say  nothing  of  the  saving  of  labour  in  the 
house,  and  the  constant  expense  of  making  good 
broken  crockery.     These  basins  can  be  fitted  with 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


119 


plain  marble-tops,  sunk  for  brushes  and  the  other 
necessaries  of  the  toilet,  and  fitted  under  with  small 
enclosing  cupboards,  which  can  be  provided  with  racks 
or  shelves  for  boots  and  shoes,  articles  of  dress  usually 
difficult  to  place  away  in  ordinary  dressing-rooms. 

The  mantel-pieces  of  most  of  the  modern  London 
houses  are  generally  of  the  most  commonplace  character, 
abominable  in  design  and  construction,  perhaps  black 
marble,  with  enormous  trusses,  in  the  dining-room,  bad 
in  form,  in  outline,  and  construction  ;  in  the  drawing- 
room  of  similar  character,  but  of  white  or  veined  marble. 
To  leave  these  as  they  are  would  utterly  destroy  all 
decorative  effect  in  a  room ;  when  everything  else 
looked  well,  they  would  remain  as  plague  spots,  on 
which  the  eye  would  continually  rest.  If  I  advocate 
their  removal,  I  shall  be  told  that  I  am  going  away 
from  my  first  principles  of  economy,  but  at  the  risk  of 
this,  I  would  say,  get  rid  of  them  at  once.  Take  them 
down  carefully,  and  take  out  the  grates  and  stow  them 
all  away  in  some  cellar,  where  they  can  be  brought 
to  light  and  refixed  when  your  lease  is  up,  and  any  new 
mantel-piece  that  you  may  put  up  can  be  fixed  as  a 
piece  of  furniture,  so  as  to  be  taken  down  and  removed 
without  damage  to  the  walls. 

In  many  of  the  houses  of  the  date  of  the  early 


i2o  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 

part  of  the  eighteenth,  and  even  in  some  of  those 
built  in  the  early  part  of  this  century,  there  remain 
mantel-pieces  and  grates  of  good  design  and  proportion, 
in  which  the  adaptation  of  good  Greek  forms  and  detail, 
with  delicate  inlays  of  rare  marbles,  or  gracefully  sculp- 
tured panels  and  enrichments,  are  well  and  carefully 
carried  out ;  these,  of  course,  are  invaluable. 

The  simpler  mantel-pieces  of  the  periods  I  have 
named  in  plain  painted  deal,  with  well-proportioned 
mouldings  and  delicately  modelled  enrichments  and 
figure  panels,  after  Flaxman,  are  very  good  in  their 
way,  and  in  nowise  come  under  the  category  of  the 
modern  abominations  of  what  are  called  '  boxed- 
marble,'  in  which  form,  detail,  moulding,  and  carving 
are  all  execrable. 

In  olden  days,  the  mantel-pieces  were,  as  a  rule, 
the  most  important  features  in  a  room,  carved  with 
many  a  quaint  device,  blazoned  with  heraldic  decora- 
tion, or  filled  with  subject  panels,  exquisitely  wrought 
and  moulded,  or  with  painting  and  carving,  in  which 
the  highest  skill  of  the  sculptor  and  painter  were 
brought  into  association  with  the  designers  skill.  They 
thus  became  grand  and  imposing  features  in  the  ban- 
queting-hall  or  lady's  chamber,  objects  of  art  and 
beauty,  setting  forth  the  cultured  taste  and  refinement 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


121 


of  the  artists  of  past  generations,  and  teaching  us 
lessons  of  skill  and  grace  in  design  and  detail,  which 
we  may  well  and  wisely  take  to  heart. 

I  need  but  refer  you  to  the  many  exquisite  examples 
of  old  mediaeval  work,  built  up  with  the  walls,  which  still 
remain  to  us  in  many  old  houses  in  England  and 
abroad,  with  their  deeply  recessed  chimney  corners, 
pleasant  places  for  after-dinner  rest,  or  to  the  examples 
of  later  days  in  some  of  the  old  mansions  of  England, 
all  exquisitely  designed  with  various  marbles  inlaid  and 
sculptured,  or  to  the  more  elaborate  but  equally 
beautiful  structures  of  carved  and  panelled  wainscot 
with  quaint  panelling,  curiously  wrought  columns,  and 
cunningly  devised  recesses  and  shelves,  with  portraits 
or  other  good  work  of  the  painter's  art  enframed  in 
well-wrought  mouldings  in  the  central  spaces,  like  some 
of  those  in  Hatfield-house,  Audley  End,  Hampton- 
court  Palace,  and  numerous  other  old  English  mansions 
of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries. 

In  these  old  buildings  the  mantel-pieces  were 
works  of  art  in  the  rooms,  the  centres  to  which  all 
other  panelling  and  decoration  led  up.  The  grates  of 
the  more  important  rooms  were  massive,  with  wrought 
or  cast  dog-irons  of  good  design,  backs  cast  with  some 
figure  subjects  in  bold  relief,  all  grateful  and  pleasant 


122 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


to  look  at  through  the  cheery  blaze  and  sparkle  of 
burning  logs. 

What  a  painful  contrast  do  the  machine-made 
modern  ones  of  to-day  offer  to  us,  in  which  there  is 
utter  want  of  taste  and  design. 

The  mantel-piece,  then,  should  be  an  important 
feature  in  any  room.  In  the  dining-room  it  may  be  of 
unpolished  wainscot,  mahogany,  American  walnut,  or 
painted  deal,  with  a  lining  of  black  or  golden  Sienna 
marble  ;  the  lower  panels  may  be  rilled  in  with  good 
painted  subject  tiles,  or  delicate  carving  of  fruit  or 
flowers,  the  main  shelf  sufficiently  broad  to  take,  if 
necessary,  the  various  ornaments,  useful  or  otherwise, 
which  are  wanted,  with  perhaps  a  centre  panel  for  a 
good  portrait  or  subject  picture,  enframed  in  boldly 
carved  moulding  ;  round  it,  on  either  side,  might  be 
plain  panelling,  carried  up  to  the  ceiling  line,  with 
recesses  for  sculpture  or  bronzes,  or  tiers  of  shelves 
for  those  whose  tastes  lie  in  china  or  other  drzc-d-frrac, 
the  top  perhaps  finished  with  a  bold  curved  cove, 
filled  in  with  stamped  leather  or  decorative  enrich- 
ment. 

I  give  an  example  of  a  mantel-piece  (Plate  IX.) 
which  has  been  lately  fitted  up  in  the  dining-room  of 
an  ordinary  London  house  from  my  own  designs.  The 


A-Dtning-Room-ChuTme3r- Piece-  Robert  w.edis,f.s.a.  aro 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


123 


old  grate  was  removed  and  the  space  lined  with  orna- 
mental tiles,  and  the  fire-place  itself  enframed  with 
golden  Sienna  marble  slightly  moulded  on  the  inner 
edge.  The  mantel-piece  itself  was  of  unpolished 
American  walnut,  to  accord  with  the  moulded  dado 
round  the  room,  the  lower  panels  filled  in  with  good 
figure  tiles,  and  the  upper  portion  arranged  with  re- 
cesses and  shelves  for  china  and  other  ornaments,  with 
good  splayed  Venetian  glasses  in  the  panels  to  lighten 
up  the  room  and  reflect  the  ornaments,  the  recesses 
being  lined  with  stamped  and  gilded  leather ;  the  top 
moulding  was  made  to  carry  round  with  the  picture- 
rail  ;  the  whole  being  designed  to  suit  the  character  of 
the  room  and  to  form  an  important  part  of  its  artistic 
decoration. 

For  the  drawing-room  and  library  I  would  suggest 
designed  mantels  of  similar  character,  but  carried  out 
to  meet  the  special  requirements  of  the  two  rooms  ; 
in  the  one  might  be  subdued  delicate  embroidery, 
painted  tiles,  or  Japanese  lacquer  panels,  with  recessed 
shelves,  lined  with  velvet,  to  set  off  the  china  or  glass, 
the  sides  formed  into  groups  of  useful  shelves  or 
brackets,  and  the  centre  filled  with  a  splayed  Venetian 
glass,  of  not  too  great  a  height  from  the  ground  to 
be  rendered  useless,  and  of  sufficient  size  to  reflect  the 


124 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


works  of  art  in  the  room,  and  thus  add  to  its  cheerful- 
ness and  charm. 

In  the  library,  I  would  arrange  small  flanking 
cupboards  for  cigars  or  tobacco  for  those  who  smoke, 
with  shelves  for  china  or  books,  to  carry  on  the 
general  furniture  of  the  room,  so  that  the  mantel-piece 
should  not  appear  as  the  one  break  in  the  line.  But, 
above  all,  please  to  understand  that  these  mantel- 
pieces should  be  designed  so  as  to  be  not  mere  objects 
of  ornament,  but  absolutely  useful  as  pieces  of  furniture. 
Why  should  not  flanking  cupboards  be  provided,  such 
as  I  have  shown  in  one  of  my  illustrations  (Plate  X.), 
for  guns,  swords,  and  fishing-rods,  and  the  various 
paraphernalia  of  a  sportsman  or  a  soldier.  If  the 
cupboards  be  made  air  and  dust-tight,  all  these  belong- 
ings, which,  to  their  detriment,  are  too  often  stowed 
away  in  cases,  may  be  kept  more  carefully,  and  will 
add  materially  to  the  general  appearance  of  the  room, 
giving  it  at  once  an  air  of  use,  as  well  as  of  comfort. 

Many  of  you  do  not  hesitate  to  spend  20/.  to  a 
100/.  on  a  picture  or  piece  of  china,  which,  while  of 
course  beautiful  in  itself,  cannot  give  you  half  the 
pleasure,  or  half  the  variety,  as  the  same  sum  of  money 
spent  on  a  really  good  mantel-piece.  For  from  20/. 
to  a  100/.  you  may  have  a  mantel-piece  which  shall 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


125 


not  only  be  beautiful  but  useful,  and  which  shall 
accord  with  the  general  artistic  furniture  in  your 
room,  and  in  which  works  of  art  in  the  shape  of  well- 
drawn  figure  tiles,  delicately  modelled  pieces  of  terra- 
cotta work,  or  panels  of  wood  carving,  and  small  but 
useful  Venetian  mirrors,  or  other  similar  work,  may 
be  enframed. 

For  50/.  or  60/.  you  may  get  a  really  good  mantel- 
piece, the  fire-place  lined  with  tiles  of  good  design, 
and  a  dog-grate  that  shall  burn  coals  or  wood  in  the 
winter,  or  be  fitted  to  hold  flowers  in  the  summer  time  ; 
and  for  almost  the  price  of  an  ordinary  marble  mantel 
you  may  in  your  bedrooms  get  one  of  painted  deal, 
with  art  tiles  that  will  not  offend  the  eye  whenever 
you  look  upon  them.  In  illustration  of  this  portion 
of  my  remarks  are  shown  various  designs  for  mantel- 
pieces,— setting  forth  some  few  suggestions  for  the 
more  useful  and  advantageous  treatment  of  this  part 
of  the  furniture  of  an  ordinary  house, — which  may 
be  applied  to  almost  any  room.  All  of  these  have 
been  executed  at  a  cost  varying  from  5/.  to  60/., 
inclusive  of  glasses,  grates,  and  tiles,  the  more  elabo- 
rate examples  having  been  executed  in  wainscot 
mahogany  and  American  walnut  ;  but  by  using  plain 
deal  or  pine,  painted  and  varnished,  a  considerable 


126 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


saving  of  expense  might  be  made.  I  do  not  offer  them 
as  designs  to  be  accepted  by  you,  but  simply  as  examples 
of  my  views  of  the  general  treatment  of  ordinary 
mantel-pieces. 

The  illustration  (Plate  X.)  shows  an  arrange- 
ment of  cupboards  and  shelves  which  I  have  designed 
for  guns,  fishing-rods,  swords  and  china,  cigars,  tobacco, 
and  pipes  in  my  own  library.  This  work  was  done  in 
deal,  painted,  at  a  moderate  cost,  the  tiles  and  figure 
plaques  after  Teniers,  being  from  an  old  German 
stove,  and  utterly  unseen  until  placed  as  I  have  shown. 
The  whole  work  was  executed  for  me  by  an  ordinary 
builder,  and  fitted  over  the  existing  mantel-piece, 
which,  fortunately,  happens  to  be  of  simple  and  fairly 
good  design,  the  house  having  been  originally  de- 
signed by  an  architect,  and  not  by  a  speculative 
builder. 

In  the  smaller  bedrooms  or  dressing-rooms,  wher3 
space  is  not  over  ample,  I  see  no  reason  why  the 
mantel-piece  should  not,  to  a  certain  extent,  be  formed 
into  a  sort  of  dressing-table.  Above  the  shelf,  which 
adapts  itself  easily  for  all  dressing  paraphernalia,  on 
either  side,  might  be  formed  small  cupboards,  useful 
for  many  purposes,  the  centre  space  between  being 
filled  up  by  a  sufficiently  large  looking-glass,  flanked 


A- Study  Mantel •  Piece  • 


ROBERT  W.EDIS  F.S.A.  AR?" 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


127 


with  light  moveable  brackets  for  gas  or  candles,  the 
whole  made  of  deal  stained  and  polished,  or  painted 
and  varnished,  or  of  some  other  inexpensive  wood. 

An  arrangement  of  this  kind  would  naturally  not 
be  suitable  for  the  more  important  work  of  a  lady's 
toilet ;  but  in  small  bachelor  or  dressing-rooms,  it 
would,  I  venture  to  think,  be  found  sufficient  for  all 
purposes,  and  infinitely  better  than  the  moveable  table, 
which  generally  occupies  the  whole  window  space,  the 
white  dressing-table  cover  of  which,  however  charming 
it  may  be  when  first  put  on,  too  soon  gets  smeared  and 
spotted  with  the  blacks  and  dust  which  blow  in  when- 
ever the  window  is  opened,  or  find  their  way  mysteri- 
ously, but  surely,  through  cracks  and  crevices,  one 
knows  not  how,  to  the  certain  ruin  as  regards  cleanli- 
ness of  anything  within  their  reach. 

In  ordinary  bedrooms,  a  plain  deal  painted  and 
varnished  mantel  can  be  put  up  for  a  very  small  expense. 
I  saw  recently  an  exceedingly  good  example  of  a 
cheap  and  simple  bedroom  chimney-piece  made  by 
Messrs.  Longden  and  Co.,  of  Sheffield,  from  the  de- 
signs of  a  well-known  architect,  in  deal,  red-lacquer 
painted,  with  grate,  fire-lumps,  and  tiles,  the  total  cost 
of  which  was  4/.  1  ys.  inclusive,  the  mantel-piece  itself, 
with  tiles,  costing  3/.  2S,}  and  the  grate  il.  15s.  In 


128 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


the  hall,  this  kind  of  simple  design,  with  cupboards 
over,  fitted  up  for  gloves  and  brushes,  and  with  a  lining 
of  tiles,  which  can  be  obtained  of  good  design  and 
colour  for  is.  each  at  Messrs.  Minton  or  other  manu- 
facturers, would  be  a  pleasant  and  cheerful  feature  in 
the  generally  dreary  entrance  of  a  town  house. 

If  you  do  not  wish,  for  various  reasons,  to  remove 
the  existing  grates  and  mantels  of  your  house,  you  can 
adapt  some  design  for  fitting  up  over  the  old  mantels, 
with  some  useful  piece  of  furniture,  at  a  small  cost,  and 
thus  improve  the  general  effect  of  your  rooms  without 
interference  with  existing  arrangements,  and  without 
adopting  the  commonplace,  tasteless,  and  eminently 
dirty  alternative  of  a  wooden  mantelboard,  covered 
with  velvet  or  cloth  with  senseless  and  useless  fringe. 

In  my  own  dining-room  I  have  fitted  up  the  space 
over  the  existing  mantel-piece  (see  Plate ,  XI.)  with 
a  cluster  of  shelves  specially  made  to  take  blue  and 
white  china,  which,  to  my  mind,  has  a  much  more  deco- 
rative effect,  arranged  as  I  have  shown,  than  when  hung 
up  or  placed  in  single  and  isolated  pieces.  The  shelves 
are  moulded  on  the  edge  and  made  narrower  as  they 
rise  in  height,  and  the  whole  cluster  is  fastened  to  the 
wall  with  strong  wrought-iron  brackets,  the  painted  wall 
surface  forming  an  excellent  background  for  the  china. 


ROBERT  W.EDIS,F.S.A.ASCH.T 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


129 


The  whole  was  put  up  at  the  cost  of  a  few  pounds. 
Under  the  lower  shelf  I  have  arranged  a  light  rod  on 
which  are  hung  russet-brown  Utrecht  velvet  curtains 
to  hide  the  modern  mantel-piece,  and  to  shut  in  the 
whole  space  when  a  fire  is  not  required. 

In  the  increased  use  of  painted  tiles  in  the  decora- 
tion and  furniture  of  our  houses,  we  are  practically 
doing  good  to  a  large  number  of  ladies  anxious  and 
willing  to  find  some  means  of  livelihood ;  the  painting  of 
tiles  is  eminently  a  work  for  their  light  hands,  and  the 
good  taste  which  most  educated  ladies  possess  will 
suggest  many  ways  of  adapting  the  simplest  flowers  of 
the  field,  in  proper  decorative  treatment  and  ornamen- 
tation of  tiles. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  fire-places,  let  me  say 
a  few  words  about  grates  and  fenders  ;  as  a  rule  nothing 
can  be  worse  in  taste  and  design  than  these— the  grates 
are  not  only  hideous  in  shape,  but  in  the  better  rooms 
of  the  house  are  often  of  burnished  steel  with  laid-on 
ormolu  mouldings,  all  necessitating  a  large  amount  of 
time  and  labour  in  keeping  bright  and  clean.  As  a 
rule,  these  grates  are  as  extravagant  as  they  are  ugly, 
consuming  a  maximum  quantity  of  coal,  and  giving  out 
a  minimum  amount  of  heat ;  as  a  consequence,  all 
kinds  of  attempts  are  made  to  diminish  the  consumption 

K 


13° 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


and  increase  the  heat,  by  inserting  fire-lump  sides  or 
balls,  and  putting  in  iron  false  bottoms  ;  all  these  make- 
shifts are  unsatisfactory.  There  is  no  reason  why  ycu 
should  not  have  good  artistic  grates,  combined  with  a 
maximum  amount  of  heat  from  the  coal  consumed,  and 
— if  the  room  be  large,  and  access  can  be  got  to  the 
external  air — by  means  of  many  of  the  now  well-known 
ventilating  grates,  pure  warm  fresh  air  can  be  supplied 
at  will,  to  add  to  the  warmth  and  comfort  of  the  rooms, 
at  a  comparatively  small  expense. 

The  slow  combustion  grates  are  now  well  known, 
and  need  no  words  of  mine  to  recommend  their  adop- 
tion. Those  made  by  Messrs.  Barnard,  at  Norwich, 
and  designed  by  Mr.  Jekyll,  the  architect,  are  not 
only  exceedingly  good  in  their  artistic  treatment,  but 
good  in  their  construction  and  scientific  arrangement 
for  throwing  out  the  greatest  amount  of  heat  at  the 
smallest  expenditure  of  coal.  They  consist  of  a  plain 
cast  ornamental  front,  with  fire-lump  back,  sides,  and 
bottom,  by  which  the  heat  of  the  fire  is  retained  and 
cast  out  into  the  room,  instead  of,  as  a  rule,  going  up 
the  chimney.  The  fire  space  is  made  as  small  as 
possible,  consistent  with  the  requirements  of  the  grate, 
and  by  the  use  of  tiles,  the  whole  effect  of  these  grates, 
and  of  others  of  similar  character  and  design,  made  by 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  131 

other  equally  good  manufacturers,  is  eminently  pleasant 
and  artistic,  and  the  cost  is  exceedingly  moderate  ; 
good  grates  of  artistic  design  being  obtainable  at  prices 
varying  from  255*.  to  50^.  each,  according  to  the  size 
of  the  room  and  the  space  required  to  be  heated  ;  the 
tiles  and  fixing,  including  taking  out  the  old  stove, 
would  cost  probably  an  equal  amount  of  money,  so  that 
from  505.  to  5/.  a  good  useful  and  artistic  grate  may  be 
obtained  for  any  room  in  the  house ;  and  I  venture  to 
say  that  the  saving  in  labour  of  cleaning,  and  consump- 
tion of  coal,  would  amply  repay  the  cost  of  the  new  grate 
in  the  length  of  an  ordinary  lease  of  seven  years  ;  so 
that,  even  if  you  treat  the  new  work  as  a  fixture  to  be 
given  to  your  landlord,  you  will  have  recouped  yourself 
the  original  cost,  in  addition  to  the  pleasure  and  charm 
of  not  only  having  an  artistic  grate  in  appearance,  but 
one  which  will  add  extra  warmth  and  comfort  to  your 
rooms.  These  grates  are  now  made  by  a  number  of  the 
best  manufacturers,  and,  if  the  simple  iron  fronts  are 
too  plain  for  you,  they  can  be  obtained  in  bronze  or 
brass  at,  of  course,  an  increased  cost  ;  and  good  pattern 
tiles  can  be  got,  for  filling  up  the  sides,  from  is.  to  5s. 
each. 

I  have  before  mentioned  the  simple  grate  lent  me 
by  Messrs.  Longden  as  good  in  design  and  cheap  in 

K  2 


I32 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


price;  the  illustrations  (Plates  XII.  and  XIII.)  show 
examples  of  two  or  three  basket-grates  by  the  same 
firm,  of  good  artistic  design  and  moderate  cost,  suitable 
for  dining  or  drawing-rooms.  These  grates  are  adapted 
from  old  examples  of  dog-grates  by  Mr.  Longden,  and 
are  especially  good  in  design,  the  workmanship  of 
wrought-iron  and  brass  is  as  good  as  it  can  be,  and  no 
pains  have  been  spared  to  produce  really  good  artistic 
grates,  suitable  for  modern  requirements,  at  a  moderate 
cost.  They  are  fitted  to  burn  wood  or  coal,  and  can 
be  removed,  if  desired,  in  the  summer-time,  or  fitted 
up  with  baskets  of  ferns  or  flowers.  The  fender  shown 
on  Plate  XIII.,  designed  by  Mr.  Bodley  the  architect, 
and  the  repousse  brass  or  copper  sconce  designed  by 
Mr.  Somers  Clarke,  are  both  charming  in  design  and 
effective  in  treatment. 

Dog-grates  as  now  made  cost  no  more  than  the 
usual  elaborate  bright  steel  and  ormolu  drawing-room 
grates,  and  are  eminently  adapted  for  the  dining  or 
drawing-room,  burning  either  wood  or  coal,  and  being 
in  all  respects  more  artistic  and  more  comfortable,  not 
only  from  the  general  character  of  their  design,  but  from 
the  extra  warmth  they  throw  out,  than  the  old- 
fashioned  grates  I  have  referred  to.  The  openings 
of  the  existing  fire-places  can  be  easily  altered  to 


Plate  N°  12. 


Domestic- Iron-&-  Brass  -  Work  •  Metfrs  Lon^den  arCoJ- 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


suit  any  of  these  kind  of  grates,  and  if  lined  all  round 
with  plain  red,  or  other  tiles,  the  effect  in  the  room 
will  be  pleasant  and  artistic,  and  the  tiles,  by  reflect- 
ing the  heat,  will  add  much  to  the  warmth  and  comfort 
of  the  room,  while  in  the  summer  time  the  grate  might 
be  removed  and  the  space  filled  up  with  ferns  and 
flowers.  In  my  own  house  I  have  adopted  this  kind 
of  fire-place  and  grate  for  my  drawing-rooms,  and  am 
quite  satisfied  with  the  result  from  an  artistic,  useful, 
and  economical  point  of  view.  I  do  not  hesitate, 
therefore,  to  advise  the  substitution  of  the  grates  I 
have  referred  to,  for  the  general  bad  and  extravagant 
examples  to  be  found  in  most  town  houses,  without 
fear  of  being  told  that  I  am  departing  from  my  first 
principles  of  usefulness,  simplicity,  and  moderation  of 
cost.  The  examples  of  old  Sussex  cast-iron  backs 
still  left  to  us  can  be  easily  fitted  with  plain  iron 
baskets  ;  these  backs,  as  a  rule,  being  admirable 
examples  of  low  relief  cast  ornament,  generally  good 
in  artistic  design  and  treatment. 

Amongst  the  general  articles  of  furniture  associated 
with  modern  fire-places,  nothing  can  be  worse  than  the 
hideous  and  commonplace  fenders  of  cast-iron  or 
burnished  steel,  with  ormolu  enrichments  laid  on, 
which   are  either  constantly  coming  unscrewed,  or 


*34 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


offering  traps  for  the  destruction  of  ladies'  dresses  by 
their  projecting  points  and  so-called  ornaments  ;  beyond 
all  this,  they  are  a  constant  source  of  annoyance,  by 
collecting  dust  and  dirt  in  their  scroll-pattern  angles, 
and  under  the  raised  iron  or  steel  bottoms.  They  are, 
if  of  steel,  elaborately  burnished  and  chased,  eminently 
costly,  and  involve  a  large  expenditure  of  time  and 
trouble, — equally  with  the  grate  of  similar  character, — to 
keep  clean.  JMy  advice  to  you  is  to  get  rid  of  them  at 
once,  sell  them  for  what  they  will  fetch,  and  in  lieu  of 
what  at  its  best  is  a  clumsy  and  inartistic  protection 
from  the  falling  cinders  and  hot  ashes,  substitute  plain 
polished  marble  or  hard  stone  fenders.  These  can  be 
made  at  prices  varying  from  505.  to  5/.  or  6/.,  are  for 
all  practical  purposes  better  than  the  miserable  bur- 
nished steel  or  iron  fenders,  are  not  likely  to  get  in  the 
way  of  dresses,  with  ordinary  fair  treatment  are  not 
likely  to  get  chipped  or  broken,  and  are  much  more 
pleasant  and  artistic  to  look  at.  Only  take  care  that 
they  are  not  made  of  the  usual  section,  that  is  to  say, 
with  a  face  at  right  angles  to  the  hearth,  rendering  it 
difficult  to  properly  brush  out  the  dust  and  dirt  from 
the  angles.  Let  the  section  be  curved  or  splayed 
down  gradually  to  the  hearth  surface,  so  as  to, 
in  fact,  form  only  a  moulded  frame,  without  offering 


Plate  N°  13. 


Iron  and  -  Brass  -  Work  •  messrs  loncden  &c?r  • 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


135 


any  corners  or  right  angles  for  the  collection  of 
dirt. 

Fire-irons  should  be  as  plain  as  possible,  their  pur- 
pose being  eminently  for  use,  not  show,  and  these  can 
be  supported  either  on  the  marble  fender  or  on  plain 
simple  moveable  stands,  and  are  better  than  all  the 
twisted  forms  and  all  the  pierced  pattern  abominations 
which  make  up  the  general  Birmingham  patterns  of 
these  necessary  articles  of  furniture. 

If  you  object  to  marble  or  stone  fenders,  I  suggest 
that  instead  of  all  the  bad  cast-iron  and  ormolu  orna- 
mentation, you  should  have  a  simply  designed  high 
fender,  such  as  that  shown  in  Plate  XIII.,  say  2  feet 
high,  made  of  plain  wrought-iron  bars,  and  filled  in 
with  pierced  brass  work,  by  which  means  you  will 
obtain  not  only  additional  protection,  but  in  part  a 
useful  screen  from  the  fire. 

If  only  an  additional  protection  be  required,  I  sug- 
gest a  moveable  screen  about  2  feet  high,  made  with 
a  plain  polished  wrought-iron  or  steel  frame,  with  good 
ornamental  terminals,  and  filled  in  with  brass  or  steel 
wire  netting,  to  stand  inside  the  marble  fender.  In 
this  way  protection  is  obtained  from  the  fire  surface  in 
the  grate  without  materially  interfering  with  the  heat 
thrown  into  the  room. 


i36 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


In  this  my  third  lecture  I  have  endeavoured  to 
throw  out  some  suggestions  for  obtaining  art  furniture 
suitable  for  modern  uses,  modern  requirements,  and 
moderate  purses,  and  to  insist  that  the  aim  of  all  true 
artists  should  be  to  produce  furniture  at  a  moderate 
cost,  beautiful  in  design,  detail,  and  form,  for  every-day 
use.  It  is  not  necessary  for  you  to  enter  into  the 
theories  and  speculations  of  all  the  various  art  teachers 
of  the  day,  or  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  those  who, 
in  the  shortness  of  a  life,  change  from  Classic  to  Gothic, 
from  Gothic  to  Queen  Anne.  You  will  be  bewildered 
by  the  various  enunciated  opinions  of  a  host  of  rival 
artistic  authorities,  all  advocating  the  infallibility  of 
their  own  particular  theories  on  art  and  its  accessories. 
It  is,  perhaps,  unfortunate  that  the  professors  of  the 
master  arts  of  architecture  and  painting  should  have, 
in  the  last  half-century,  by  constant  change  of  fashion, 
and  so-called  revival  of  different  schools,  set  an  ex- 
ample of  uncertainty  and  dogmatism,  which  naturally 
bewilder  the  onlooker.  As  a  writer  in  a  recent  number 
of  the  '  Times '  very  truly  said  : — 

*  Incredulity  naturally  supervenes  when  our  guides 
only  serve  to  show  us  how  to  abandon  one  standard  of 
beauty  and  take  up  with  another,  for  the  mind  of  the 
ordinary  man  is  not  nimble  enough  to  live  in  a  few 
years  through  as  many  centuries.' 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


137 


Now,  therefore,  that  the  best  of  our  cabinet-makers 
have,  for  the  most  part,  shown  a  desire  to  substitute 
general  simplicity  of  form  and  detail  for  extravagance 
and  eccentricity  of  design  and  construction,  let  us  hope 
that  in  their  conscientious  endeavours  to  produce  things 
artistic,  they  will,  in  the  general  articles  of  domestic 
use,  seek  to  combine  comfort  and  utility  with  soundness 
of  construction,  simplicity  of  design,  and  moderation  of 
cost.  May  I  say  to  you,  who  have  so  patiently  listened 
to  my  address,  that  everything  in  your  houses  should 
first  of  all  be  '  fitted  for  a  place,  and  subordinated  to  a 
purpose,'  all  forming  part  of  a  great  and  harmonious 
whole,  in  companionship  and  accord,  not  in  opposition 
and  discord,  with  the  beautiful  things  with  which  so 
many  of  you  delight  to  fill  your  houses,  and  that  in 
thus  making  them  beautiful  and  attractive  you  are 
imperceptibly  exercising  an  influence  for  good,  upon  all 
who  see  them,  stronger  than  any  words,  and  that  the 
teaching  of  the  art-work  in  your  homes  will  speak  in 
language  at  once  powerful  and  intelligible  to  your 
fellow-workers  in  the  world,  who  will  remember  and 
delight  in  the  work  which  your  loving  thought  and 
care  have  placed  around  them,  for  long  years  after  you 
perhaps  have  sunk  into  oblivion  and  death  of  the  past. 


138 


LECTURE  IV. 

THE  ENTRANCE-HALL,  STAIRCASE,  DINING-ROOM, 
AND  LIBRARY. 

In  the  present  lecture  I  propose  offering  some  practical 
suggestions  for  the  decoration  and  furniture  of  the 
entrance-hall,  staircase,  dining-room,  and  library,  and 
to  point  out  how  they  may  be  artistically  arranged  and 
decorated  with  the  materials  at  hand,  and  at  little,  if 
any,  greater  cost  than  when  done  in  the  usual  tasteless 
manner. 

The  planning  arrangements  and  heights  of  the 
various  rooms  must  first  of  all  be  considered,  before 
any  opinion  can  be  given  as  to  the  proper  propor- 
tionate division  of  the  wall  spaces ;  various  require- 
ments need  various  treatments,  and  what  may  be 
fitted  for  one  room  may  be  utterly  out  of  place  in 
another. 

As  a  rule,  however,  in  the  larger  rooms  of  a  house, 
I  think   it  will  be  found  desirable   to  break  the 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE  OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  139 

surface  of  the  walls,  by  means  of  divisional  lines,  into 
dados  and  friezes,  either  for  useful  or  decorative 
purposes,  or  both. 

In  speaking  of  a  dado,  I  mean,  of  course,  the  lower 
space,  which  in  olden  days  was  represented  by  wood 
panelling,  the  frieze  being  the  upper  portion  of  the  wall 
space  next  the  ceiling,  and  what  I  call  the  general  wall 
surface,,  the  central  space  between  the  dado  and  the 
frieze. 

In  making  these  divisions,  the  general  proportion 
and  height  of  the  particular  room  must,  of  course,  be 
borne  in  mind,  as  well  as  the  practical  requirements  ; 
for  instance,  while,,  in  my  opinion,  a  good  dado  mould- 
ing or  chair  rail  is  desirable  in  a  dining-room  to  protect 
the  painted  or  papered  surface  from  being  damaged  by 
the  chair  backs,  which  are  generally  placed  along  the 
wall  when  not  required  for  use,  in  a  drawing-room, 
where  the  furnishing  is  quite  of  a  different  character, 
and  where  the  lower  portion  of  the  walls  is  often  cut 
up  by  cabinets,  bookcases,  and  couches,  a  low  dado 
would,  as  a  rule,  be  out  of  place,  as  materially  interfer- 
ing with  the  lines  of  furniture. 

A  frieze,  as  a  rule,  will  be  found  useful  in  every 
room  of  the  house  ;  in  the  reception-rooms  for  general 
decorative  treatment,  and  in  the  bedrooms  for  plain 


140 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


surfaces  of  distemper  colouring  for  health's  sake  and 
economy  of  treatment. 

The  dado  can  be  formed  by  means  of  a  simple 
moulded  deal  rail  about  3  to  4  inches  wide,  project- 
ing sufficiently  to  act  as  a  stop  to  the  chair  backs, 
and  fixed  to  the  wall  about  2  feet  9  inches  from  the 
floor  :  the  frieze  should  be  divided  again  from  the 
general  wall  surface  or  central  space,  by  another  flat 
deal  rail,  which  need  not  be  moulded  at  all,  its  purpose 
being  not  only  to  divide  the  frieze  from  the  central 
wall  space,  but  to  act  as  a  picture  rail  or  rod,  from 
which  the  pictures  should  be  suspended,  instead  of,  as 
usually  done,  from  a  rod  under  the  cornice,  thus  break- 
ing the  whole  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  wall  with 
lines  of  cord  or  wire,  which  are  always  ugly,  in  the  way, 
and  utterly  unnecessary.  Either  of  these  rails  can  be 
put  up  at  the  cost  of  a  few  pence  per  foot  run,  and 
both  will  be  found  essentially  useful  as  well  as  orna- 
mental, the  one  for  a  protection  to  the  walls,  the  other 
for  hanging  pictures  and  other  works  of  art. 

I  have  purposely  given  to  these  Lectures  the  distinc- 
tive title  of  '  Town  Houses,'  because,  although  many 
of  my  remarks  will  naturally  apply  to  houses  in  the 
country,  the  planning  of  town  houses  must  of  necessity 
be.  totally  different. 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


141 


The  general  arrangement  consists,  as  a  rule,  of  a 
narrow  entrance-hall,  widened  out  to  make  room  for 
the  staircase,  which  stares  you  in  the  face  as  you 
enter,  two  or  more  rooms  on  a  floor,  lighted  from 
back  or  front.  The  external  architecture  is,  prob- 
ably, of  very  commonplace  character,  generally 
dressed  up  in  miserable  cement  imitation  of  stone, 
with  stuck-on  ornaments  of  the  worst  possible  cha- 
racter. 

Internally,  the  rooms  are  without  bays  or  recesses, 
with  flat  ceilings,  cornices  of  the  usual  stereotyped 
form,  mantels  and  grates  of  no  particular  design,  the 
one  heavy  with  gigantic  trusses,  the  other  resplendent 
with  burnished  steel  and  ormolu. 

The  doors  are  four  panel,  with  weedy-looking 
mouldings  ;  the  windows  filled  with  plate-glass,  and 
the  general  lines  and  details  of  the  rooms  suggestive 
of  anything  but  harmonious  decoration.  The  clauses 
of  the  every-day  lease,  which  necessitate  the  painting, 
papering,  and  whitewashing  once  within  a  certain 
period,  will  enable  you,  if  you  will,  to  substitute 
artistic  for  commonplace  decoration  ;  to  paper  your 
walls,  and  paint  your  doors  and  other  woodwork,  at 
little  or  no  greater  cost  than  that  of  the  flock  or 
imitation  moire  silk  papers,  and  imitation  graining,  so 


142 


DECORA  TION  AND  FURNITURE 


much  affected  in  later  years ;  while  the  change  in 
carpets,  hangings,  and  furniture,  rendered  necessary 
by  wear  and  tear,  will  enable  you  to  replace  the  bad 
and  ugly  with  what  shall  be  in  good  taste  and  pleasant 
to  look  upon,  or  at  least  inoffensive.  Depend  upon 
it,  the  first  really  beautiful  thing  you  buy — whether 
it  be  an  inlaid  cabinet,  a  picture,  or  a  piece  of  painted 
china — with  a  real  appreciation  and  love  for  it  as  a 
work  of  art,  and  that  to  you,  'as  a  thing  of  beauty 
is  a  joy  for  ever,'  will  be  the  commencement  of  an  art 
teaching  which  will  eventually  lead  you  to  discard 
the  things  which  you  formerly  looked  upon  as  fitting  ; 
and,  the  eye  once  educated,  will  make  you  surround 
yourselves  with  only  those  things  which  shall  have 
some  beauty  of  form  or  colour.  I  cannot  understand 
how  any  one  who  truly  appreciates  a  beautiful  painting, 
piece  of  sculpture,  or  drawing,  can  conscientiously,  or 
with  any  pleasure,  permit  in  the  same  room  other  ele- 
ments which  are  absolutely  not  only  incongruous,  but 
ugly ;  not  only  unartistic,  but  vulgar  and  common- 
place. I  can,  of  course,  understand,  although  I  cannot 
appreciate,  the  pride  which  desires  simply  to  express 
power  of  wealth  in  valuable  paintings  ;  but  I  cannot 
believe  there  can  be  any  real  love  for  the  art  ex- 
pressed in  them,  or  just  appreciation  of  their  distinc- 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


H3 


tive  merits,  if  all  the  surroundings  are  commonplace 
and  inharmonious. 

Before  discussing  the  special  arrangement  of  in- 
dividual rooms,  let  me  say  something  about  the  cost  of 
the  various  modes  of  decoration  I  propose  to  recom- 
mend, and  of  their  special  application. 

A  few  general  hints  as  to  paint,  paper,  and  dis- 
temper work  will  assist  you  in  arriving  at  something 
like  the  cost  of  the  work  you  propose  to  do,  and  in 
your  dealings  with  the  workman  you  may  employ.  A 
little  knowledge  is  said  to  be  a  dangerous  thing,  but  I 
fancy  that  if  you  can  show  that  you  know  something 
about  the  proper  cost  of  papering,  painting,  and  dis- 
tempering, you  will  be  in  a  better  position  to  decide 
as  to  what  shall  be  done,  and  how  far  the  means  at 
your  disposal  will  admit  of  any  higher  class  of  decora- 
tion in  any  of  your  rooms. 

English  papers  differ  from  French  by  being 
made  21  inches  instead  of  18  inches  in  width.  French 
papers  contain  only  9  yards  in  the  piece,  as  against 
]  2  yards  of  English,  so  that,  allowing  1  yard  in 
each  piece  for  waste,  a  piece  of  English  paper  of  12 
yards  in  length  will  cover  about  6  square  yards  of 
wall  surface,  as  against  4  to  4^  square  yards  of 
French.     The   cost   of    hanging   ordinary  papers, 


144 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


exclusive  of  the  papers  themselves,  varies  from  is.  to 
is.  6d.  per  piece,  increasing  to  2s.  and  2s.  6d.  per 
piece  for  better  class  papers,  in  which  there  is  much 
gold — a  greater  amount  of  care  and  time  being  re- 
quired for  these — to  4^.  and  $s.  per  piece  for  flock- 
papers,  all  of  which  have  to  be  trimmed  with  a  knife,  a 
much  longer  proceeding  than  the  usual  one  of  trimming 
the  edges  or  cutting  off  the  waste  pieces  with  a  pair 
of  scissors. 

Lining  papers,  for  walls  and  ceilings,  cost  from 
2s.  to  2s.  6d.  a  piece,  hung  complete.  These,  as  a 
rule,  are  only  necessary  where  the  general  surface  of 
the  walls  is  very  rough  and  uneven,  and  where  it  is 
intended  to  paint  or  distemper  the  whole  surface,  and 
in  ceilings,  where  the  plaster  work  is  bad  or  defective 
or  much  cracked ;  the  cost  of  what  is  technically  called 
'  washing  and  stopping,'  which  means  cleaning  off  the 
old  distemper,  and  cutting  out,  filling  in,  and  rubbing 
down  all  cracks  in  old  ceilings,  must  depend  entirely 
upon  how  much  of  this  making  good  has  to  be  done, 
but  with  ordinary  walls  or  ceilings  the  cost  of  this, 
including  plain  sizing  and  distempering,  varies  from 
3d.  to  6d.  per  square  yard,  all  stencil  decoration  and 
picking  in  of  cornices  with  colours  involving,  of 
course,  extra  expense.    Plain  cornices  can  be  tinted  in 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


145 


two  or  three  different  colours  from  id.  to  3d.  a  yard 
run,  picking  out  the  enrichments  being  a  matter  of 
time,  for  which  a  good  decorator  or  painter  would  be 
paid  at  the  rate  of  about  icxs\  per  day. 

The  cost  of  plain  painting  to  walls,  and  bringing 
them  up  to  a  good  surface  in  three  or  four  coats, 
varies  from  \s.  gd.  to  2s.  3d  a  yard,  with  an  extra  is.  a 
yard  for  varnishing.  As  a  rule,  few  old  walls  will 
stand  being  varnished,  the  finishing  of  the  plasterwork 
not  being  sufficiently  smooth  or  level,  for  it  must  be 
remembered  that  varnish  brings  out  all  imperfections 
in  a  most  decisive  manner. 

The  cost  of  stopping  and  plain  painting  in  three 
or  four  coats,  for  the  margins  or  general  surfaces  of 
floors,  varies  from  15.  6d.  to  2s.  a  yard,  finished  com- 
plete, with  an  extra  cost  of  from  3d.  to  6d.  per  yard 
for  varnishing  ;  good  floors  may  be  finished  with  a 
mixture  of  beeswax  and  turpentine,  which  forms  a 
good  polished  surface,  for  about  is.  6d.  per  yard 
superficial  ;  this  requires  simply  to  be  kept  clean  with 
a  duster  or  rubbed  up  as  ordinary  furniture. 

The  cost  of  the  cheapest  ordinary  Brussels  carpet, 
£  of  a  yard  wide  only,  is  at  least  5^.  6d.  per  yard  run, 
or  practically  nearly  js.  a  square  yard,  exclusive  of 
laying  ;  you  will  see,  therefore,  that,  in  strongly  advo- 

L 


146 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


eating  painted  or  stained  and  varnished  borders  as  more 
healthy  and  artistic,  I  am  advocating  a  treatment  of 
floor  surfaces  infinitely  less  expensive  than  covering 
them  with  carpets. 

Japanning  or  lacquer  painting  is  a  term  applied  to 
painting  in  which  varnish,  to  a  large  extent,  forms  the 
vehicle  or  medium  with  which  the  colour  is  mixed. 
This,  when  properly  done,  produces  an  appearance  of 
lacquered  or  polished  surface,  and  can  be  applied  to  all 
kinds  of  furniture  of  cheap  woods  with  good  effect,  at 
about  one-half  extra  cost  over  that  of  plain  painting. 

In  this  kind  of  varnishing  the  room  must  be  kept 
at  a  high  temperature,  so  as  to  admit  of  the  varnish 
drying  rapidly  and  becoming  hard,  as  in  ordinary 
japanning  or  furniture  painting. 

In  enamelling  woodwork,  this  kind  of  varnish 
paint  is  used,  but  the  work  is  carefully  rubbed  down 
after  each  coat,  and  much  labour  is  required  to  bring 
the  ultimate  result  to  the  enamel-like  effect  of  good 
coach  painting ;  this  kind  of  work  is  necessarily  ex- 
pensive, and  the  result  not  always  satisfactory. 

It  is  well  to  remember  that  different  materials  need 
different  treatments,  and  much  depends  on  the  nature 
and  appearance  of  the  work  to  be  painted  ;  delicate 
tints  require  colourless  oil  for  their  vehicle,  surfaces 


CF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


147 


required  to  be  finished  in  flat  must  have  no  oil  at  all, 
as  the  use  of  it  necessarily  imparts  a  gloss  and  shining 
surface  which,  in  flatted  work,  is  to  be  avoided  ;  paint 
mixed  with  turpentine  is  not  nearly  as  lasting  as  that 
mixed  with  oil,  but  a  little  turpentine  is  necessary  in 
all  work  exposed  to  the  sun,  either  inside  or  out,  to 
prevent  the  paint  from  blistering,  and,  as  a  rule,  where 
you  find  shutter  fronts  and  other  painting  in  the 
window  openings  blistered,  you  may  be  sure  that  the 
work  has  been  improperly  done.  It  is  possible, 
however,  that  this  may  not  always  be  due  to  im- 
proper work  ;  for,  if  the  aspect  of  the  room  be  east  or 
west,  and  the  new  work  is  exposed  to  the  glare  of  a  hot 
sun,  any  ordinary  painting  or  varnishing  on  deal  or 
pitch-pine  is  almost  sure  to  blister,  and  should  always 
be  protected,  until  quite  hard  and  dry,  by  blinds  or 
other  covering ;  bad  knots  should  always  be  cut  out 
in  all  shutter  fronts  or  other  work  where  much  exposed 
to  the  sun.  The  silicate  paints  now  made,  which  for 
their  bases  have  pure  calcined  silica,  are  said  to  stand 
any  fair  amount  of  heat  without  blistering,  and,  weight 
for  weight,  to  cover  at  least  a  third  more  wall  space 
than  ordinary  oil  paints,  both  valuable  recommenda- 
tions for  their  more  extensive  adoption  for  every-day 
use. 

L  2 


148 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


I  have  thus  briefly  given  some  few  practical 
hints,  which  those  who  are  about  to  paint  or  decorate 
will,  I  think,  find  useful.  As  I  proceed  with  my 
lecture,  I  shall  endeavour,  as  far  as  possible,  to  give 
some  idea  of  the  cost  of  the  decorations  I  suggest 
in  the  various  rooms,  namely,  the  hall,  staircase, 
dining-room,  and  library. 

Let  us  suppose  that  the  street-door — which  should 
be  painted  in  some  warm,  serviceable  colour,  either 
chocolate  or  brown,  and  varnished  for  protection 
against  the  weather  and  to  render  it  easily  cleaned — is 
opened,  and  we  are  in  the  hall,  the  antechamber  of  the 
house.  Here  the  walls  should  be  painted  with  some 
good  colour — not  too  light  to  show  finger  marks — 
to  two-thirds  of  their  height,  with  some  simple 
pattern  stencilled  over  the  surface,  but,  if  possible, 
varied — that  is  to  say,  light  upon  dark  and  dark  upon 
light — and  the  whole  carefully  varnished,  not  only  to 
protect  the  paint,  but  to  render  the  walls  easily  cleaned 
without  damage.  The  stencil  work  may  be  done  in  a 
darker  or  lighter  shade  of  the  general  tint ;  and  here 
and  there  a  panel  might  be  formed,  in  which  a  figure 
might  be  painted  in  outline,  or  stencilled  on.  It  is  well* 
however,  to  remember  that  figurework  must  be  done 
by  an  artist  who  knows  from  long  study  how  to  draw 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


149 


the  human  form,  for  any  feeble  prettiness  of  figure- 
drawing,  such  as  we  see  so  often  in  the  panels  of 
modern  furniture  and  on  tiles,  is  worse  than  nothing ; 
and  it  is  better  to  have  a  good  conventional  flower, 
well  drawn,  than  any  pretence  of  figurework,  which, 
after  a  time,  when  you  have  learnt  to  appreciate  and 
know  what  good  drawing  is,  will  disgust  you.  The 
upper  portion  of  the  walls  should  be  divided  by  a  plain 
wood  moulding,  which,  if  desired,  can  be  formed  into  a 
narrow  shelf,  on  which  to  place,  light  pieces  of  majolica 
or  gres  de  Flandres,  or  other  ware.  Drawings,  or 
anything  hung  on  the  walls,  as  a  rule,  are  generally  in 
the  way,  and  are  liable  to  blow  about  and  damage  the 
paint  and  decoration.  The  space  under  the  cornice  so 
divided  might  be  distempered  ;  for  where  gas  is  used 
this  portion  of  the  wall  is  likely  to  get  dirty  or  dis- 
coloured in  a  year,  and  the  distemper  can  be  washed 
off  or  re-done  at  a  small  cost. 

In  the  frieze  might  be  panels  containing  birds  and 
figures,  which  could  be  done  in  distemper  with  good 
effect,  the  general  drawing  being  done  in  plain  red 
outline,  contrasting  well  with  a  cream-coloured  general 
tone  of  ground.  Panels  of  figure  tiles,  or  such  as  those 
shown  in  Plate  IV.,  which  last  for  ever,  or  a  plain 
running  stencil  pattern  of  foliage,  shields,  and  birds, 


150  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 

as  an  enriched  border  just  below  tW  cornice,  might 
be  judiciously  introduced,  or  a  good  light-toned  and 
simple  pattern,  or  stamped  paper,  such  as  those 
I  described  in  my  second  lecture,  may  be  hung 
over  the  whole  space  instead  of  distemper.  This 
stencil  decoration  may  be  done  very  inexpensively, 
for  when  once  the  patterns  are  cut  out — and  these  may 
be  as  many  or  as  few  as  you  like — the  mere  skill  and 
labour  required  is  of  very  ordinary  kind  for  simple 
work  of  this  description.  Decorative  wreaths  of  one  or 
two  colours,  and  pots  of  flowers  or  foliage  sufficiently 
large  to  form  a  good  decorative  frieze  in  distemper 
colouring,  may  be  done  from  2s.  6d.  to  3.9.  6d.  a  yard  run, 
and  the  patterns  may  be  kept,  so  that  the  work  may  be 
renewed,  if  necessary,  each  year,  or  changed  with  new 
patterns,  which  can  be  cut  out  at  a  very  small  expen- 
diture of  time  and  money.  The  ceiling  should  be 
lightly  tinted  in  a  vellum,  pink,  or  grey  tone,  with  some 
slight  stencil  decoration  to  relieve  it,  and  the  cornice 
treated  in  very  light  shades  in  distemper. 

Remember  these  ceilings  are  certain  in  a  little 
space  to  get  dingy  from  ordinary  town  atmosphere, 
and  the  wretched  impurities  of  gas.  It  is  unfortunate 
that  in  this  nineteenth  century  we  are  still  obliged  to 
burn  gas  which  is  generally  impure  and  a  disgrace  to 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


modern  science  and  civilisation.  Consumers  are  made 
to  pay  a  large  price  for  this  kind  of  light,  and  ought 
fairly  to  expect  to  be  supplied  with  it  free  from  all 
those  impurities,  which  tend  to  destroy,  not  only  the 
painting  and  decoration  on  our  walls,  but  all  pictures, 
gilding,  and  other  works  of  the  kind  which  are  left  un- 
protected by  glass.  At  a  little  extra  cost,  plain  deal  or 
canvas  plaster  ribs  might  be  laid  over  the  existing 
plaster  work,  and  the  panels  thus  formed  could  be 
filled  in  with  good  flock  paper  to  relieve  the  general 
flatness  of  the  surface,  and  could  be  painted  whenever 
required,  or  the  whole  surface  may  be  covered  with 
canvas  plaster  in  a  delicate  all-over  pattern  of  natural- 
istic or  conventional  leaf  ornament  cast  in  low  relief, 
the  ground  work  being  tinted  golden-yellow  colour. 

Another  treatment  of  the  walls  of  the  outer  hall 
would  be  by  panelling  them  6  or  7  feet  high  in  plain 
deal,  painted  in  red  or  dark  blue  lacquer  colour,  and 
with  a  good  flock-paper  frieze,  painted  light-golden 
yellow,  flecked  with  reddish  or  brighter  golden  touches, 
to  relieve  it  from  the  general  sameness  which  one 
tint  presents  when  not  brightened  up  by  decoration. 
Flock  or  stamped  papers  in  small  friezes  of  this  kind, 
especially  if  painted,  can  be  used  with  good  effect,  and 
sometimes  the  pattern  will  permit  of  some  particular 


152 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


portion  of  it  being  picked  out  in  a  different  tone  of 
colour  ;  but  in  any  treatment  of  this  kind  great  care 
must  be  taken  to  prevent  a  spotty  appearance. 

Marble  mosaic  tiles  or  slabs  may  also  be  used  with 
good  effect  on  the  walls  of  the  outer  hall,  at  a  cost  vary- 
ing from  5.?,  to  20s.  per  square  yard.  The  effect  of 
these  are  generally  satisfactory,  and,  the  surface  being 
polished,  is  easily  cleaned,  and  is  not  affected  by  changes 
of  weather  or  atmosphere.  The  woodwork  should 
be  painted  throughout  in  two  plain  colours,  with 
the  mouldings  strengthened  in  darker  tone,  and  the 
whole  varnished  ;  if  the  mullions  and  framing  of  the 
door  be  done  in  a  dark  shade,  let  us  say  of  chocolate  or 
brown,  the  panels  might  be  lighter  in  tone,  with  stencil 
decoration  of  flowers,  birds,  or  fruit  in  a  darker  shade. 
Here  let  me  say  that  all  woodwork,  such  as  doors, 
windows,  and  shutters,  which  are  subject  to  the  wear 
of  not  always  clean  hands,  should  be  varnished  through- 
out ;  the  extra  cost  of  this  will  be  saved  by  the 
increased  time  which  the  paint  and  decoration  will 
stand,  and  plain  washing  with  a  damp  cloth  or  sponge 
will  at  all  times  clean  off  any  and  all  marks.  In  my  own 
house  this  kind  of  work  has  stood  for  nearly  ten  years, 
and  is  to-day  as  fresh  as  when  it  was  done.  Do  not 
be  led  away  by  the  theory  that  varnish  will  destroy  the 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


153 


delicacy  of  colour  ;  of  course,  care  must  be  taken  in 
the  tints  you  wish  to  arrive  at,  by  increasing  or  toning 
the  colours  to  meet  the  glaze  which  varnish  gives. 
Where  an  inner  screen  is  really  used,  that  is,  kept  shut 
to  keep  the  inner  hall  more  private,  it  should  be  glazed 
with  leaded  or  jewelled  glass,  instead  of  the  ordinary 
embossed  plate  or  enamelled  sheet  glass  ;  simple  designs 
in  colour  can  be  introduced  at  small  cost,  say  from  2s. 
to  6s.  per  square  foot,  according  to  the  design  or 
pattern  of  the  work,  and  will  add  much  to  the  cheerful- 
ness of  the  hall,  with  the  play  of  sunlight  through  the 
various  tinted  glass. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  say  that  the  fashion  of  small 
or  leaded  panes  of  glass  has  been  much  abused,  but  in 
such  places  as  hall  screens,  where  additional  privacy  is 
desired,  they  may  legitimately  be  used.  To  ignore 
the  advantages  of  modern  plate  glass  in  ordinary 
windows,  where  light  and  outlook  are  desired,  is  simply 
ridiculous  ;  but  I  see  no  reason  why  the  upper  portions 
of  the  windows  of  town  houses  may  not  have  figure  or 
flower  designs  of  leaded  glass  panelled  or  framed  into 
smaller  white-leaded  panes,  as  in  most  of  our  larger 
commercial  towns  the  sky  is  too  often  of  a  gloomy 
aspect,  and  when  the  sun  does  pay  its  visits  to  our  streets 
and  squares,  it  will  not  be  the  less  appreciated  because 


154 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


it  comes  through  painted  glass,  and  adds  to  its  charms 
the  beauties  of  many  glinted  colours.  The  mantel- 
piece of  an  ordinary  hall  is  generally  so  common,  and 
the  hall  so  narrow,  that  a  shelf  is  almost  useless.  Why 
not,  therefore,  discard  it  altogether,  and  frame  the  grate 
by  a  border  of  tiles,  kept  in  by  a  slight  wood  moulding  ? 
Messrs.  Minton  and  Co.,  and  other  manufacturers, 
have  numerous  examples  of  good  art  tiles  suitable  for 
this  purpose,  from  i^.  to  $s.  each. 

In  Plate  XIV.  I  give  examples  of  various  tiles 
made  by  this  firm,  which  are  eminently  adapted  for  the 
lining  of  fire-places  or  as  borders  for  mantel-pieces ; 
the  small  6-inch  tiles  can  be  obtained  in  plain  blue  and 
white  or  buff  tone  colouring  for  is,  each,  the  larger 
plaques,  which  are  painted  in  outline  on  pale  buff 
ground  with  delicate  tones  of  darker  yellow  and  pink, 
about  3  feet  4  inches  high  by  18  inches  wide  in  single 
slabs,  costing  about  5/.  each. 

If  you  wish  for  places  for  china,  have  plain  painted 
deal  shelves,  made  in  groups,  gradually  diminishing 
from  the  lower  to  the  upper  shelf,  and  fixed  above  the 
mantel-piece.  Do  not,  as  is  so  often  done,  cover  the 
mantel-shelf  with  a  wooden  top,  covered  with  cloth  or 
velvet,  nailed  on  with  a  fringe  and  brass  nails  ;  this 
will  be  an  endless  source  of  annoyance,  from  the  fact 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


155 


that  it  never  can  be  kept  free  from  dirt  and  dust,  not  to 
say  anything  of  its  spotty  and  unartistic  effect.  There 
are,  of  course,  endless  other  ways  of  decorating  a  hall, 
by  panelling  the  lower  portion  with  tiles  or  wood,  and 
filling  up  above  with  a  good  pattern  paper  of  light  tone, 
or  painted  decoration.  Simple  distemper  work,  if  well 
done,  may  be  used  instead  of  paint,  and  is  of  course 
much  less  expensive.  A  good  bright  reddish-brown 
tone  on  the  lower  portion  of  the  walls,  with  yellowish 
cream  ground  above,  with  enriched  panels  and  cornice, 
can  all  be  done  in  distemper,  and  if  brushed  down 
occasionally  with  a  light  brush  will  remain  good  and 
effective  for  some  years.  As  a  rule,  the  floors  of  the 
halls  of  most  town  houses  are  of  stone,  and  these,  if 
kept  clean  and  whitened,  form  very  good  borders 
for  bright  Persian  or  Indian  rugs,  which  can  now 
be  obtained  at  a  very  moderate  cost,  or  the  stone 
floor  may  have  a  border  of  plain  marble  or  mosaic 
work,  such  as  I  have  described  in  my  lecture  on 
floor  decoration.  A  good  '  Kurd  '  mat  or  rug,  about 
6  feet  long  by  3  feet  6  inches  wide,  may  be 
obtained  for  \os.  or  15^.,  and  its  bright  colour 
gives  a  cheerful  warm  look  to  the  hall  as  you  enter. 
The  door-mat  should  be  sunk  flush  with  the  floor, 
and  of  large  size,  so  that  little  or  no  dirt  may  be 


156 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


carried  on  to  the  rug.  '  Mischiata,'  or  marble  mosaic, 
forms  an  excellent  pavement,  and,  although  more  ex- 
pensive, is  preferable  to  the  everlasting  tile  floors, 
which  have  been  imitated  ad  nauseam  in  oilcloth.  If 
tiles  are  used,  they  should  be  in  one  good  colour  ;  say 
red,  grey,  or  chocolate,  with  a  very  simple  border  ; 
or  white  and  black  tiles,  in  2  inch  squares,  laid 
to  a  bold  pattern  and  divided  i.ito  squares,  and 
bordered  by  thin  black  lines,  look  well,  and  are  easily 
cleaned. 

In  the  ordinary  hall  of  a  town  house  there  is  not 
much  room  for  furniture  of  any  kind,  but  there  is  still 
space  for  one  or  two  high-backed  chairs  of  plain  oak, 
or  a  long  deal  settle  with  plain  rail  back  and  elbows, 
and  for  a  small  stand  for  wet  umbrellas  ;  this  latter 
need  not  be  one  of  the  usual  cast-iron  abominations, 
but  can  be  incorporated  with  the  seat  with  a  zinc  tray 
at  the  bottom  and  a  carved  brass  rail  at  top.  Messrs. 
Morris  have  designed  a  plain  rush-bottomed  settle, 
shown  in  the  accompanying  sketch,  4  feet  6  inches  long, 
which  is  quite  good  enough  for  any  ordinary  hall,  and 
costs  only  35^.  complete. 

If  possible,  in  the  inner  hall  there  should  be  a  simple 
cupboard  with  sliding,  not  folding,  doors,  with  shelves 
arranged  for  coats,  and  a  sliding  rack  for  hats,  a  few 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


157 


hooks  or  pegs  above  for  sticks  and  umbrellas,  and  the 
top  may  be  made  of  unpolished  oak  or  other  hard 
wood,  or  marble,  to  act  as  a  serving  table. 

'Portieres'  in  London  halls  are  generally  objection- 
able as  offering  traps  for  dirt  and  dust.  On  the  land- 
ings I  would  have  a  comfortable  divan  or  stuffed  seat 
of  the  plainest  description — throw  a  piece  of  coloured 


stuff  or  silk  over  it  for  colour — which  will  be  found 
convenient  and  useful  on  occasions  when  you  receive 
guests  ;  at  each  end  might  be  arranged  receptacles  for 
plants  and  flowers,  which  are  always  grateful  and 
pleasant  to  look  at. 

The  staircase  of  a  town  house  is  generally  a  cold 
and  dreary  approach  to  the  real  withdrawing  or  living 
rooms  of  the  house — the  rooms  where  we  receive  our 


i58 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


guests  and  spend  our  pleasantest  hours — often  a  long 
vault,  walled  in  with  blocks  of  imitation  marble,  a  cold 
stone  staircase,  with  cast-iron  balustrading  of  the  worst 
possible  design — generally  imitative  of  wrought-iron 
construction — thin,  poor,  and  often  unsafe,  with  a  thin 
moulded  handrail,  with  what  are  technically  called 
ramps,  wreaths,  and  curtails  of  the  usual  speculative 
builders  character.  Of  course  all  these  must  remain. 
We  cannot  exchange  them  for  the  wide  oak  staircase, 
with  its  boldly  carved  newels,  handrails  that  look  like 
support,  and  handsomely  turned  balusters  of  Eliza- 
bethan date  ;  such,  indeed,  as  are  still  left  in  numerous 
old  English  mansions,  and  in  some  few  of  the  older 
London  houses ;  but  we  can  make  them  more  cheerful, 
and  less  cold  and  dull.  A  painted  and  varnished 
dado,  with  a  wooden  moulding  raking  with  the  hand- 
rail, or  plain  deal  painted  panelling,  will  be  at  once 
a  help  and  improvement.  The  wretched  ironwork 
painted  in  a  plain  bright  colour — not  picked  out  in 
gold,  to  show  its  peculiar  eccentricities  and  faults  of 
design — and  the  thin  moulding  which  serves  as  a 
handrail,  ebonised  as  a  contrast,  will  all  help  the  pecu- 
liarly unfortunate  lines  on  which  you  have  to  work. 
Above  the  dado,  either  distemper  or  paper  in  some 
warm  and  cheerful  colour.    If  you  paper,  let  the  paper 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


159 


be  of  one  general  tone,  otherwise  the  great  space  to  be 
covered  will  be  spotty  and  disagreeable. 

As  an  example  of  paper  decoration  for  inner  halls 
and  staircases,  I  have  shown  in  the  illustration  Plate  III. 
one  made  by  Messrs.  Jeffrey,  and  designed  by  Mr. 
Walter  Crane,  which  is  certainly  quaint  and  clever  in 
its  treatment,  and  suitable  for  the  purpose,  although 
somewhat  expensive.  The  general  ground  is  of  a  soft 
yellow  tone,  with  deeper  toned  decoration  in  lines  and 
patterns,  and  diapered  over  with  dark  wall  flowers. 
The  upper  portion  or  frieze  has  a  ground  of  delicate 
blue,  and  is  covered  writh  pale  pink  almond  flowers. 
The  whole  treatment  is  exceedingly  decorative  and 
well  executed  ;  the  lower  portion  might  be  varnished, 
so  as  to  be  easily  washed. 

A  warm  golden-brown  or  yellow  forms  a  good 
general  tone  for  a  hall  and  staircase,  with  a  Pompeian- 
red  dado  painted,  with  black  skirting  and  rail,  and  a 
frieze  of  light  pattern  paper  or  cream-coloured  dis- 
temper ground,  with  line  enrichment  in  dark  golden 
brown  or  red.  The  general  woodwork  should  be 
painted  black,  where  there  is  not  too  much  of  it,  or  in 
two  shades  of  good  red  or  brown,  or  the  general  tone 
might  be  peacock  or  light  blue,  with  soft  vellum  grey 
and  blue  pattern  papers  or  distemper.    A  deep  frieze 


i6o 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


of  boldly  designed  painted  or  stencil  ornament  will 
assist  much  in  breaking  the  usual  bad  proportion  of 
the  staircase  wall,  while  panels  may  be  formed  in 
bold  lines  of  paint  or  distemper,  wherein  may  be  framed 
pictures  or  other  art  work.  A  good  neutral  tint  or 
warm  grey  ground,  with  ornament  in  green  and  ver- 
milion, has  a  good  effect  if  the  colours  be  carefully 
treated ;  or  a  wide  diaper,  with  patterns  interchanged, 
and  charged  with  shields  and  legends  here  and  there. 
Any  good  photographs,  sketches,  or  studies  are  useful 
to  hang  on  the  rake  of  the  staircase,  on  the  eye  line, 
to  take  off  the  general  coldness.  Many  varieties  of 
tints  will  suggest  themselves,  which  will  help  to  give  a 
bright  and  cheerful  character  to  the  passage-way  of  the 
whole  house,  in  place  of  the  cold  and  dreary,  rightly 
called,  well,  to  which  we  are  so  accustomed.  As  a  rule, 
the  lower  flights  of  the  staircase  are  fairly  well  lighted, 
and  the  walls  can,  therefore,  be  hung  with  drawings. 
If  possible,  put  here  and  there  a  piece  of  china,  or  a 
good  figure  on  brackets,  in  the  angles,  to  break  the 
ugly  appearance  of  the  narrow  half-landing.  A  care- 
fully designed  lantern  light,  filled  with  leaded  and 
jewelled  glass,  hung  from  the  ceiling,  such  an  one 
as  I  have  shown  in  illustration  XX.  will  cost  no  more 
than  the  miserably  painted  iron  or  bronzed  brackets 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


161 


which  are  generally  affected,  and  will  light  the  stairs 
more  evenly,   or   a  simple   wrought-iron   or  brass 


LOINGOE.N  AND  C°. 


hanging  lamp,  similar  to  the  sketch  given  of  one  made 
by  Messrs.  Longden  and  Co.,  with  opalesque  glass 

M 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


receiver  for  oil,  and  brackets  for  candles,  will  certainly 
form  a  pleasant  and  artistic  feature  for  lighting-  an 
inner  hall  or  landing.    A  bright  drugget,  nearly  cover- 
ing the  whole  of  the  treadway,  with  the  stone  margins 
treated  in  good  warm  colour  to  harmonise  with  it,  is 
surely  better  than  the  narrow   three-quarter  width 
carpet,  with  its  edges  of  cold  painted  stone;  while  here 
and  there,  on  the  landings  and  >  half-spaces,  small 
Persian  or  Indian  rugs  or  prayer  carpets — which  can  be 
bought  for  almost  the  price  of  the  carpet  usually  used 
— will  give  colour  and  brightness,  and  add  to  the  feeling 
of  warmth  and  comfort ;  and  these,  always  remember, 
can  be  taken  up  easily,  and  shaken,  if  requisite,  every 
day,  and  are  certainly  more  cleanly  than  the  closely 
fastened  down  carpet,  under  which  the  dust  accumu- 
lates and  stays  for  many  months.    If  the  landing  or 
half-space  be  large,  put  a  comfortably  low  couch,  with 
some  bright  covering,  and  a  stand  for  flowers  or  china; 
for  any  bit  of  colour,  either  of  nature  or  art,  will  add 
much  to  the  cheerfulness  of  this  part  of  the  house. 

Nowadays,  the  art  of  China  and  Japan  is  well 
known  to  all  of  us,  and,  although  I  do  not  for  a  moment 
advocate  any  mere  copyism  of  oriental  work  in  the 
decoration  of  English  houses,  yet  there  is  much  in  good 
Chinese  and  Japanese  art  which  we  may  study  with 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


advantage.  In  painting  on  china  and  faience,  in  every 
kind  of  decorative  art,  the  Japanese  show  a  keen  love 
for,  and  an  intimate  knowledge  of,  all  that  is  beautiful  in 
Nature,  and  are  always  at  their  best  in  depicting  her 
ever- varied  form,  whether  in  flowers,  tree,  or  animal  life. 
With  a  few  exquisite  touches  the  loveliest  forms  are 
placed  before  us,  with  great  truth  and  freedom  of  draw- 
ing, and  in  their  art  there  is  a  desire  to  set  forth  beau- 
tiful designs,  and  to  express  lovely  combinations  of 
colour  in  ever-varying  fancy.  They  always  seem  to 
remember  that  all  true  decoration  is  based  on  construc- 
tion, that  the  life  and  flower,  so  to  speak,  of  decorative 
work  must  spring  from  the  root  and  framework  of  con- 
struction ;  just  as  a  good  painter  will  draw  his  figure 
first,  before  clothing  it,  and  the  trunk  and  branches  of 
a  tree  before  covering  it  with  foliage.  What  can  be 
more  exquisite  than  some  of  the  drawing  and  colouring 
of  the  innumerable  paper  and  silk  blinds  and  fans  that 
have  been  imported  to  such  a  large  extent  in  the  last 
few  years  ?  Many  of  these  can  be  bought  for  a  few 
shillings,  and  are  admirable  pieces  of  colour  decoration 
to  hang  on  the  walls  of  hall  or  staircase,  or  framed  in 
small  panels  round  the  frieze.  The  colouring  is  gener- 
ally quiet  and  refined  in  treatment,  and  eminently 
decorative,  and  at  the  same  time  perfectly  true  to 

M  2 


1 64  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 

nature.    Where  an  ordinary  workman  would  conven- 
tionalise a  flower  or  bird,  and  produce  whole  rows  of 
them,  without  variation  of  any  kind,  in  a  stiff  and 
unnatural  manner,  these  Japanese  artists  give  us  end- 
less variety  and  colouring,  always  graceful  and  effec- 
tive, and  never  crude  or  coarse.    By  a  few  touches 
they  produce  Nature  in  life  and  movement — a  tree 
bent  and  shaken  by  the  wind,  a  blade  of  grass  bent  or 
broken  by  some  passing  footstep,  a  spray  of  flowers 
waving  with  the  summer  breeze  ;  birds  in  endless 
movement,  flying  or  asleep,  and  all  true  to  the  charac- 
teristics of  their  life  and  form.    In  the  lily,  the  carna- 
tion, convolvulus,  fruit,  or  May  blossoms,  we  see  numer- 
ous examples  of  our  own  English  flowers,  depicted  in 
a  way  which  few  decorative  artists  in  England  can 
equal  or  excel.    All  such  bits  of  decorative  art  can  be 
made  much  of  in  the  dull  monotony  of  a  town  house, 
and  nowadays  can  be  purchased  at  a  very  trifling  cost. 
If  you  will  only  trace,  or  get  traced,  some  of  the  out- 
line sketches  of  wild  fowl,  cocks  and  hens,  pheasants, 
or  storks,  you  will  find  they  can  be  used  with  good 
effect  as  stencil  decoration  for  the  upper  portion  of  the 
staircase  walls,  or  in  smaller  scale  for  panels  of  doors, 
shutters,  and  other  woodwork,  which,  as  a  rule,  are 
left  untouched.    For  instance,  suppose  you  have  the 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


165 


usual  four-panel  doors  con 
with  mouldings  run  rounc 
would  suggest  that  you 
should  paint  them  in  two 
shades  of  colour  to  har- 
monise or  contrast  with 
the  paper  on  the  walls, 
the  panels  being  the 
lighter  shade,  and  on 
these  stencil  some  of  the 
designs  I  have  alluded  to 
in  the  darker  shade,  and 
then  varnish  the  whole. 
As  an  example  of  simple 
stencil  decoration  for  door 
panels  I  give  two  sketches 
of  patterns  which  I  have 
used  on  my  own  doors  : 
these  patterns  are  sten- 
cilled on  to  the  light 
reddish  brown  ground  in 
dark  chocolate  and  then 
varnished  over,  and  have 
lasted  for  ten  or  twelve  y« 
re-done.    By  these  means 


non  to  most  of  our  houses, 
of  no  particular  design,  I 


&TFNUI .  I  Hj  A  (PLUMS'  EHlIXXftJ  JWILS      Robert  w  edi  s  rs  a  won 


iars  without  requiring  to  be 
you  will  obtain,  at  the  cost 


i66 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


&HNC1L  DKOKATION  m.  ftVi:  [-WELS 


of  a  few  shillings,  a  really  good  piece  of  decoration, 
which  will  always  be  pleasant  to  look  at,  instead  of 

the  dull  monotony  of  imi- 
tation graining  of  oak, 
maple,  or  satin  wood,  to 
which  we  are  so  much 
accustomed.  In  deco- 
rative art,  we  have  much 
to  learn  from  the  artists 
of  Japan,  who  for  many 
hundreds  of  years  seem  in 
their  humblest  articles  of 
daily  use  to  have  carried 
out  some  impress  of  their  love  and  knowledge  of 
Nature  in  her  most  beautiful  forms. 

In  Plate  XV.  I  give  a  suggestive  sketch  for  the 
treatment  of  a  large  hall,  in  what  I  may  call  modern 
Jacobean  style,  showing  a  picturesque  arrangement  for 
any  large  inner  hall,  of  a  modern  town  mansion  where 
such  a  room  could  be  made  more  or  less  a  living  room. 
Some  of  its  features  might  be  adopted  in  an  ordinary 
hall,  but  I  submit  the  sketch  as  a  fair  example  of  the 
kind  of  internal  work  suitable  for  the  new  style  of 
architecture,  yclept,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  '  Queen 
Anne.'    The  mantel-piece  and  general  features  of  the 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


167 


sketch  were  designed  by  Messrs.  Gillow,  and  fitted  up 
by  them  in  the  Prince  of  Wales'  Pavilion  in  the  Street 
of  Nations  at  the  last  Paris  Exhibition.  The  walls  are 
shown  as  hung  with  modern  Windsor  tapestry  and  old 
Spanish  leather,  with  furniture  coverings  and  hangings 
of  tapestry  and  embossed  sage  green  velvet. 

I  cannot  pretend  to  lay  down  any  set  rule  for  the 
decoration  of  the  principal  rooms  of  a  house,  nor 
would  I  if  I  could.  The  great  mistake  that  is  made 
nowadays  by  some  professional  decorators  is  fixing 
all  design  and  furnishing  in  a  room  to  one  set  rule,  so 
that  you  feel  on  entering  it  that  everything  is  stiff  and 
formal,  and  intended  for  show,  not  use. 

I  heard  recently  of  one  of  these  gentlemen  in- 
forming a  lady  of  excellent  taste,  and  who  had  brought 
into  her  room  various  bits  of  eclectic  but  useful  fur- 
niture, that  4  had  he  known  she  was  going  thus  to 
interfere  with  his  general  set  scheme  of  decoration,  he 
would  have  declined  to  have  had  anything  to  do  with 
the  work ; '  a  remark  at  once  impertinent,  and  charac- 
teristic of  the  general  conceit  of  such  false  teachers. 

If  such  a  room  could  speak,  it  would  cry  out  aloud, 
'  Look  at  me ;  ain  I  not  an  art  room  ?  But  please 
do  not  bring  any  pretty  things — any  books,  or  any 
china  here,  or  you  will  disturb  my  propriety.    I  am  not 


i68 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


intended  to  be  home-like,  but  artistic.'   In  the  mansions 
of  Hatfield,  Audley  End,  Haddon,  and  Knowle,  and 
many  other  old  halls  of  England,  the  walls  of  the 
great  rooms,  as  well  as  the  entrances,  and  often  the 
bedrooms,  were  panelled  with  oak,  in  small  panels,  to 
half  or  two-thirds  of  their  height,  and  the  remaining 
space  covered  with  tapestry  or  stamped  leather,  and 
the  effect  of  the  rich  brown  oak  walls  with  delicately 
carved  friezes,  bold  and  well-wrought  mouldings,  and 
panelling  enriched  with  graceful  arabesque  or  linen- 
fold  design,  is  always  charming,  and  contrasts  well 
with    the  white    ceilings    panelled    in  fretwork,  or 
geometrical  patterns  with  mouldings  in  low  relief,  as 
in  the  old  houses  lately  pulled  down  in  Lime  Street ; 
but  all  this  kind  of  work  is  not  suitable  to  the  general 
rooms  of  a  town  house,  where  the  dust  and  blacks  of 
the  too  filthy  town  atmosphere  find  resting-places  in 
every  moulding  and  every  bit  of  carving.    In  later 
days,  these  many  panels  were  changed  into  what  is 
called  a  '  dado '  about  3  feet  high,  panelled  length- 
ways.   Above  were  larger  panels  running  the  whole 
length  of  the  room,  or  finished  with  narrow  carved 
or  panelled  friezes,  the  mouldings  generally  being  in 
relief.    After  a  time,  this  arrangement  was  found  in- 
convenient, and  the  panels  of  the  upper  portion  of  the 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


169 


walls  were  removed,  the  capping  of  the  dado  being 
allowed  to  remain  as  a  chair-rail,  and  this  arrangement 
is  still  to  be  found  in  many  London  houses. 

A  -tropos  of  the  dust  and  smoke  of  towns.  We 
pride  ourselves  on  being  a  scientific  nation,  a  practical 
and  common-sense  people,  and  withal  patient  and 
long-suffering  in  putting  up  with  abuses,  such  as  have 
no  more  right  to  exist  than  any  other  ills  which  are 
opposed  to  all  laws — moral,  hygienistic,  and  otherwise. 
I  often  wonder  how  long  we  shall  be  content  to  accept 
gas,  which,  from  its  marvellous  impurity  and  want  of 
lighting  power,  is  a  disgrace  to  any  civilised  country  in 
the  world ;  how  long  we  shall  be  content  to  pollute 
the  common  air  with  smoke,  and  by  the  want  of  some 
simple  scientific  arrangement  in  our  fire-places,  to  sow 
broadcast  the  evils  which  work  the  destruction  of 
everything  within  our  homes,  and  cover  the  delicate 
leaves  of  the  trees  in  our  squares,  and  the  flowers 
of  the  earth,  with  black,  filthy  corruption,  when,  I  take 
it,  it  is  quite  possible  to  burn  all  this  smoke  and  im- 
purity with  infinite  saving  of  cost  in  fuel,  and  manifest 
gain  in  health,  comfort,  and  cleanliness  to  ourselves  ; 
how  long  shall  we  be  content  to  allow  the  water  supply 
of  our  towns  to  be  the  monopoly  of  a  few  companies, 
who  limit  our  supply  and  increase  the  charges  almost 


i7o 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


as  they  please,  and,  as  a  rule,  leave  us,  when  all  is 
said,  with  water  the  purity  of  which  is  uncertain — life- 
destroying  rather  than  life-giving  ?  Or  how  long 
shall  we  permit  gas  and  water  companies  so  to  arrange 
their  mains  that  any  repairs  or  alteration  involve 
the  taking  up  and  destruction  of  our  street  paving, 
instead  of  their  being  so  arranged  as  to  be  got  at 
quickly  and  easily  without  damage  to  our  roads  and 
paths  ?  Or  how  long  shall  we  be  content  to  allow 
vestries  and  other  local  bodies  to  shut  up  main 
thoroughfares  and  alter  street  paving  in  important 
highways  and  streets,  to  the  public  loss  and  incon- 
venience, in  the  most  busy  periods  of  the  year  ?  Or 
how  long  shall  we  rest  content  to  be  behind,  all  other 
civilised  countries,  in  the  arrangements  for  watering 
and  cleansing  our  streets  ?  These  are  matters  which, 
however  unartistic  they  may  be  in  themselves,  exercise 
a  very  great  influence  on  the  comfort  and  cleanliness 
of  our  homes  and  surroundings. 

The  French  rarely  or  ever  furnish  their  sallcs  a 
manger  or  dining-rooms  to  any  great  extent.  In 
England  we  use  these  rooms  much  more  largely,  and 
should  make  them  as  pleasant  to  look  at  as  possible, 
care  being  taken  not  to  hang  the  walls  with  tapestry, 
silk,  or  other  stuffs,  which  retain  the  smell  of  food.  A 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


171 


painted  dado  of  a  good  dark  tone,  with  a  bold  chair 
rail  to  prevent  the  chairs  damaging  the  walls,  is  gener- 
ally desirable,  or  plain  deal  painted  panelling  to  a 
height  of  3  or  4  feet,  above  which  the  walls  may 
be  papered  or  painted  to  within  2  or  3  feet  of 
the  ceiling ;  the  room,  so  divided,  will  give  ample 
space  for  the  hanging  of  pictures  or  prints ;  and 
instead  of  the  ordinary  picture  rods  under  the  cornice, 
with  their  long  pendant  lines  of  dusty  cord  or  wire, 
cutting  up  the  walls  into  endless  queer  and  bad  forms, 
a  small  moulding  should  be  placed  along  the  wall, 
under  the  frieze,  into  which  hooks  can  be  screwed  and 
removed  at  will,  or  a  light  iron  rod — ordinary  \  or 
\  inch  gas-piping  will  do — may  form  the  lowermost 
moulding  of  this  rail,  on  which  any  amount  of  pictures 
or  drawings  may  be  hung.  If  the  wall  is  to  form  a 
background  for  pictures,  a  good  warm  brown  or 
chocolate  colour,  in  paint  or  distemper,  will  be  found 
most  effective.  There  are  innumerable  colours  which 
can  be  adopted,  but,  for  goodness'  sake,  avoid  the 
dreary  commonplaceness  of  light  apple  and  sage 
greens,  which  seem  to  be  the  only  colours  thought 
appropriate  for  dining-room  walls. 

I  give  here  an  illustration — Plate  XVI . — of  a  dining- 
room  which  has  been  lately  decorated  and  furnished 


172 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


from  my  own  designs,  as  an  example  of  simple  treatment 
for  wall  decoration  and  furniture.  In  this  room  the 
mantel-piece,  with  the  Stager e  over,  is  made  to  form  an 
important  feature  of  the  general  design  ;  the  wall  space 
is  divided  by  a  high  dado  or  picture  rail  slightly  moulded 
with  \  inch  gas  piping  under,  as  a  picture  rod.  The 
frieze  is  painted  in  plain  vellum  tone  of  colour,  and 
decorated  with  stencil  pattern  enrichment.  The  wood- 
work generally  is  of  deal  varnished,  the  panels  of  the 
doors  and  shutters  filled  in  with  stencil  decoration  in  a 
light  shade  of  brown  under  the  varnish.  The  general 
wall  surface  is  hung  with  an  all-over  pattern  paper  of 
good  warm  golden  brown  tone  of  colour,  admirably 
adapted  for  pictures.  The  furniture  throughout  is 
executed  in  Spanish  mahogany,  and  designed  to  har- 
monise with  the  general  character  of  the  decoration. 

The  use  of  what  is  called  a  flatting  coat,  or  finish  - 
ing coat,  of  paint  mixed  with  turpentine  only,  for  wall 
surfaces,  so  as  to  produce  a  dull  flat  or  dead  surface 
without  gloss,  is,  I  think,  a  mistake,  for  this  kind  of 
work  does  not  last  when  exposed  to  the  weather  ; 
it  shows  every  mark  of  dirt,  and  will  not  stand 
washing.  This  picture-surface,  if  painted,  should  not 
be  varnished,  but  the  dado  and  all  woodwork  of 
the  doors  and  windows  will  be  made  much  more 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


173 


effective  if  varnished,  as  I  have  before  recommended. 
The  woodwork  should  be  painted  of  similar  colour,  as 
a  rule,  to  the  walls,  but  of  much  darker  tone  in  two 
shades,  and  the  panels  covered  with  good  ornament, 
stencilled  on,  all  of  which  is  inexpensive,  and  adds 
materially  to  the  general  artistic  effect.  The  broad 
frieze,  above  what  I  call  the  picture  or  general  wall 
space,  should  be  much  lighter  in  tone,  and  here  of 
course  there  is  an  opportunity  for  real  art-work.  A 
broad  decorative  painted  frieze,  painted  in  compart- 
ments or  panels,  with  figure-subjects,  is  of  course,  to 
my  mind,  the  most  desirable  finish. 

I  have  already  in  my  second  lecture  discussed  this 
important  question  of  high  art-decoration,  and  I  need 
not  further  refer  to  it  except  to  say  that  for  one 
hundred  pounds,  the  price  of  a  small  picture  or  piece 
of  really  good  china,  you  may  get  good  painted  decora- 
tion, designed  and  carried  out  by  an  artist,  for  the 
frieze  of  an  ordinary  dining-room,  in  which  good  figure 
painting,  in  combination  with  birds,  foliage,  or  other 
decorative  accessories,  shall  be  carried  out  in  oils  on 
canvas  or  panel  so  as  to  be  removeable  at  any  time  ; 
failing  this,  I  suggest  good  artistic  decoration  in  dis- 
temper or  oil. 

As  an  example  of  what  may  be  done  in  stencil 


174 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


work  in  oil,  I  have  seen  some  designs  by  a  practical 
working  decorator,  in  which  the  general  treatment  is 
thoroughly  artistic  in  its  character,  and  free  from  the 
usual  mechanical  sameness  of  colouring,  or  repro- 
duction of  various  cut  stencil  plates,  in  one  tone  or 
shade  of  tinting,  and  in  unvaried  and  monotonous 
repetition. 

In  ordinary  stencil  decoration,  the  pattern  is  gener- 
ally rubbed  on  in  one  tone  of  colour,  and  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  design  is,  as  a  rule,  a  mere  reproduction  of 
parts  prolonged  indefinitely,  according  to  the  amount 
of  space  to  be  covered ;  in  the  special  work  I  refer  to, 
instead  of  plain  flat  treatment  of  the  stencil  pattern, 
there  is  produced,  by  cleverness  of  handling  and 
artistic  touch,  a  varied  tone  in  the  different  leaves  and 
fruit  forming  the  pattern,  either  by  working  the  stencil 
brush  very  slightly  over  a  portion  of  the  leaf,  and  in- 
creasing the  strength  of  touch  and  amount  of  colour 
in  the  lower  portion,  by  which  a  pleasant  gradation  of 
colour  is  carried  out,  or  by  the  use  of  two  or  more 
tints  in  the  same  leaf  or  flower,  carefully  blended  at 
the  moment,  and  worked  off  into  delicately  shadowed 
surfaces,  by  which  an  extremely  good  effect  is  ob- 
tained. 

The  general  decorative  effect  is  still  as  it  should 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


175 


be  in  this  kind  of  work,  quite  flat  and  simple  ;  but  in- 
finitely greater  artistic  character  is  given  to  the  work  by 
the  skill  and  feeling  shown  in  the  manipulation  of  the 
brush,  and  in  the  interchange  of  one  or  two  colours,  to 
say  nothing  of  a  fairly  artistic  rendering  and  decorative 
treatment  of  the  design  itself  by  interchanging  the 
stencil  plates,  and  avoiding,  as  far  as  possible,  any 
formal  repetition.  I  am  glad  to  see  this  attempt  to 
improve  upon  the  ordinary  mechanical  work  of  sten- 
cilling by  making  it  more  decorative  and  artistic,  and 
to  feel  that  there  are  workmen  who  can  and  will  carry 
out,  as  far  as  practicable,  the  views  I  have  so  strongly 
advocated,  of  making  cheap  decoration  artistic  in 
character  and  feeling. 

The  men  who  could  do  this  kind  of  work  could, 
with  a  little  teaching,  do  anything  in  this  character  of 
decoration,  and  with  a  little  extra  teaching  and  study 
of  good  examples,  would  avoid  the  anachronisms  and 
errors  in  design  and  treatment  which,  in  the  parti- 
cular work  referred  to,  were  especially  noticeable,  and 
wherein,  if  anything,  there  was  too  much  striving  after 
imitation  of  Japanese  ornament,  without  the  know- 
ledge of  the  '  motif/  or  power  of  drawing  and  artistic 
grouping,  so  noticeable  in  the  work  of  Japanese 
artists.     This  kind  of  work  could    be  produced, 


i76 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


including  the  three  or  four  coats  of  colour  necessary 
for  the  groundwork,  at  from  4s.  6d.  to  $s.  6d.  per 
square  yard,  so  that  a  frieze  of,  say,  2  feet  deep  in 
an  ordinary  room  of  say  24  by  16,  after  deducting  the 
window  openings,  could  be  done  for  5/.  or  61.,  about  the 
price  of  good  flock-paper,  and  when  done  would  last  for 
ten  or  fifteen  years  at  least.  In  all  artistic  work  of  this 
kind,  it  must  always  be  remembered  '  that  immoderate 
multiplicity  fatigues  the  eye  ;  that  excessive  copiousness 
causes  many  objects  to  be  condemned  as  useless  ;  that 
unity  of  conception,  proportion  of  parts,  and  symmetry 
in  the  principal  decorations  are  indispensable  laws 
never  to  be  neglected.'  Raphael,  carried  away  by  the 
exuberance  of  his  genius,  and  the  skill  of  his  pupils, 
squandered  and  wasted  decoration  in  the  Vatican,  and 
lost  the  chief  attributes  of  his  ancient  models — simpli- 
city and  moderation  in  design  and  treatment. 

In  the  papering  of  the  walls  of  dining-rooms  and 
libraries,  there  are,  of  course,  very  many  ways  of  treat- 
ment, and,  amongst  the  numerous  good  examples  of 
paper-hangings  now  made,  there  should  be  no  difficulty 
in  selecting  some  really  good  pattern,  artistic  in  design 
and  colouring.  As  I  have  before  stated,  I  consider  a 
dado  a  desirable  basis  for  a  dining-room,  and  a  wide 
frieze  a  proper  finish  to  the  wall,  instead  of  carrying  up 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


177 


the  general  tone  of  colour  of  the  walls  to  the  ceiling  or 
cornice  line  ;  the  treatment  suggests  itself  as  infinitely 
better  and  more  artistic  than  carrying  up  the  same  colour 
or  decoration  to  the  top  of  the  room,  and  thus  making 
a  sudden  break  without  any  gradation  of  colour  be- 
tween it  and  the  ceiling.  If  the  dado  is  formed  in 
stamped  paper  of  dark  colour,  the  general  wall  surface 
should  be  treated  with  artistic  papers  of  green,  brown, 
red,  and  blue  grounds,  of  various  shades,  all  adapted 
for  backgrounds  for  pictures  or  engravings.  The 
frieze  may  be  in  various  coloured  flock- papers  ;  the  cost 
of  these  vary  :  the  sunflower  and  sunflower  bud  flock 
patterns,  made  by  Messrs.  Jeffrey,  both  extremely 
decorative  and  good  in  colouring  and  design,  are  re- 
spectively 5s.  6d.  and  6s.  per  yard  ;  the  plain  water- 
colour  adaptation  of  the  same  being  only  is.  per  yard. 
The  *  Albert  Moore'  pattern,  made  by  the  same  firm, 
either  in  brown  and  white,  or  blue  and  white,  in  single 
print  and  other  patterns,  varies  from  $s.  to  12s.  per 
piece  ;  a  dark  dado  papering  in  imitation  of  stamped 
leather  costs  about  5^.  per  yard,  and  flock  pattern 
papers,  for  friezes  and  ceilings,  from  4^.  to  6.?.  per 
yard  ;  plain  ceiling  patterns,  in  one  tone  of  yellow  or 
other  colour  diaper,  vary  from  25-.  6d.  to  3s.  6d.  per 
piece. 

N 


i78 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


As  an  example  of  a  purely  decorative  paper  of 
high  artistic  character,  there  is  the  '  Mermaid '  paper, 
designed  by  Mr.  Walter  Crane,  in  which  the  dado  is 
treated  as  a  pebbly  beach,  the  general  surface  as  water 
with  fishes  swimming  in  it,  and  the  frieze  as  mermaids 
rising  out  of  the  water  under.  There  are  other  good 
examples  of  papers  all  capable  of  making  highly 
artistic  wall  decoration  ;  all  good  in  design  and  colour- 
ing. 

In  choosing  paper  great  care  should  be  exercised, 
as  the  colour  and  general  appearance  of  most  of  the 
patterns  change  very  greatly  under  gas  or  candle  light. 
It  is,  therefore,  desirable  to  select  three  or  four 
patterns,  and  put  them  up  on  the  walls  of  the  room 
you  are  intending  to  cover,  and  examine  their  general 
effect  carefully,  by  day  and  night,  before  making  a 
final  choice  ;  for  not  only  do  some  patterns  and  colours 
materially  alter  by  gas  or  candle  light,  but  some, 
especially  green  and  blue,  absorb  an  immense  amount 
of  light,  and  are,  therefore,  not  fitted  for  any  rooms 
which  are  not  strongly  lighted. 

Messrs.  Morris  and  Co.  are  well  known  for  the 
general  artistic  excellence  of  their  papers  and  hang- 
ings, showing  colours  which  contrast  and  harmonise 
well  together,  some  of  them  especially  good  in  design 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES, 


179 


and  colouring,  and  inexpensive  in  price  ;  the  papers 
varying  from  5s.  to  12s.  per  piece,  and  the  hangings  of 
tapestry  or  creton  from  35.  to  125.  per  square  yard. 
Their  printed  washable  cottons  3  feet  wide  at  2s.  per 
yard,  and  their  cotton  damasks  50  inches  wide  with 
pattern  alike  on  both  sides,  and  their  wool  tapestry  2 
yards  wide,  all  made  in  various  good  tones  of  colour- 
ing, are  artistic  and  effective  in  design  and  exceedingly 
moderate  in  cost.  They  make  also  various  specimens 
of  Kidderminster  and  Wilton  carpets  adapted  for  their 
papers,  at  from  6s.  6d.  to  10s.  6d.  per  square  yard. 

At  most  of  the  better  upholsterers,  it  is  now 
possible  to  obtain  hangings  for  window-curtains  of 
different  stuffs  and  materials,  which  can  be  put  up 
at  a  cost  varying  from  15s.  to  15/.  155-.  a  window 
complete.  Some  of  the  cheaper  kinds  of  creton,  jute, 
and  cotton-waste  hangings  are  not  only  artistic,  but 
extremely  moderate  in  cost,  and  you  need  have  no 
difficulty  in  providing  good  curtains  for  any  ordinary- 
sized  window  from  25^.  to  60s.  a  set  complete. 
Ordinary  Kidderminster  rugs,  2  yards  long  by  1  yard 
wide,  are  quite  good  enough  for  any  ordinary  room  or 
staircase  landings,  and  can  be  bought  for  1 8s.  each  ;  they 
are  good  in  design  and  colouring,  and,  as  I  know  by 
experience,  capital  rugs  for  wear.    I  have  mentioned 

N  2 


l8o 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


these  various  patterns  of  papers,  stuff-hangings,  and 
carpets,  only  with  a  view  of  showing  you  that  you  can 
obtain  these  from  any  good  decorator  or  upholsterer 
at  moderate  prices,  and  to  disabuse  you  of  the  idea  that 
cheap  things  must  necessarily  be  nasty. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  there  is  not  a  little  more 
common  honesty  amongst  a  certain  class  of  manu- 
facturers, and  that  they  should  lower  themselves  by 
stealing  the  designs  of  others  in  the  same  trade,  or  by 
bodily  adapting,  without  leave  and  without  payment, 
artists'  designs  which  have  been  made  to  illustrate 
Christmas  books,  or  for  other  purposes,  in  no  way 
intended  for  paper  decoration.  As  an  instance  of  this, 
I  believe  I  am  correct  in  stating  that  the  whole  of  Mr. 
Walter  Crane's  admirable  illustrations  of  '  The  Babies' 
Opera '  have  been  bodily  appropriated  and  adapted  as 
a  design  for  wall  paper,  without  permission,  thanks,  or 
recognition  of  any  kind.  All  this  kind  of  treatment  is 
not  only  grossly  unfair,  to  use  the  mildest  possible 
term,  but  is  in  the  highest  degree  discouraging  to 
artists  (whose  brains  and  skill  of  design  and  drawing 
are  their  living),  who  naturally  hesitate  to  design  work 
of  any  kind,  if  they  know  that  it  is  to  be  stolen  and 
mutilated  for  other  purposes  without  recognition. 

I  take  it  this  kind  of  treatment  of  artists'  work  is  as 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


181 


grossly  dishonourable  and  dishonest  as  appropriating 
any  other  kind  of  goods  from  another  man's  premises, 
or  forging  his  name  to  a  cheque  and  obtaining  payment 
of  cash  in  change ;  and  much  as  we  may  desire  free 
trade  in  everything,  I  fancy  all  right-minded  people 
would  accept  a  more  stringent  law  of  protection  and 
copyright,  if  only  it  might  save  us  from  these  prac- 
tices, alike  dishonourable  to  the  individual  and  to 
the  trade. 

In  the  dining-room  of  the  house,  everything  in 
furniture  should  be  as  comfortable  and  convenient  as 
possible,  and  designed  for  use,  not  show  ;  the  chairs 
should  be  broad-seated  and  backed,  and  strong,  not 
narrow,  high-backed,  and  spindle-legged,  with  knobs 
and  irregularities  to  torture  the  back.  The  seats  and 
backs  stuffed  and  covered  with  strong,  serviceable 
leather,  or  morocco  in  preference  to  velvet,  which  is 
liable  to  hold  dust  and  to  drag  the  laces  of  ladies' 
dresses.  Good  plain  chairs  of  unpolished  wainscot  or 
American  walnut  are  better  than  any  highly  polished 
surfaces,  which  show  the  least  scratch,  or  deal  chairs  of 
solid  design,  painted  and  decorated  in  low  colours, 
would  answer  equally  well,  and  be  cheaper. 

I  hardly  like  to  suggest  rush  bottoms,  lest  I  should 
be  thought  too  archaic,  but,  believe  me,  that  these  are 


I  82 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


as  comfortable  as  any  leather ;  and  if  made  with 
various  colours,  pleasant  to  look  at.  In  addition  to 
the  ordinary  chairs,  I  would  have  two  comfortable  arm- 
chairs, of  sufficient  size  to  give  freedom  of  space  for 
carving  purposes,  and  perhaps  one  or  two  comfortable 
lounge  chairs,  for  drawing  round  the  fire  after  dinner. 

The  table  should  be  so  made  that  those  who  are 
placed  at  the  angles  are  not  made  to  suffer  torture 
and  misery  during  the  long  hours  of  dinner,  by 
projecting  legs,  which  are  always  in  the  wrong 
place. 

I  can  conceive  nothing  more  suitable  or  better  for 
an  ordinary  room  than  a  round  table  4  ft.  8  in.  to 
5  ft.  in  diameter,  on  one  massive  central  support,  the 
top  made  expanding,  into  almost  any  length,  by  some 
simple  contrivance  such  as  that  shown  in  a  table  of  the 
kind  exhibited  at  Paris  by  a  London  firm,  so  as  to 
form,  when  open,  an  elongated  oval.  Avoid  all  un- 
necessary carving  or  shaping  in  the  legs  ;  plain  turning 
is  amply  sufficient,  and  much  less  costly.  Nothing, 
to  my  mind,  shows  off  flowers  and  silver  better  than 
an  ebonised  top  left  open  in  the  centre,  with  good 
linen  slips  on  the  sides  for  dinner,  easily  removeable 
before  the  wine  comes  round. 

Instead  of  the  ordinary  sideboard,  with  its  grot- 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  183 

esque  spider-like  legs  and  carved  pedestals,  and  utterly 
useless  mass  of  looking-glass  back,  with  hideous  carved 
scroll  frame  and  top,  I  would  suggest  a  plain  but  solidly- 
handsome  buffet,  arranged  for  the  reception  of  plate 
and  glass,  or  for  good  pieces  of  china,  the  lower  por- 
tion fitted  up  with  a  cellaret  and  liquor  tray  within 
a  panelled  cupboard  front  on  one  side,  and  a  useful 
cupboard  on  the  other,  a  few  drawers  for  plate  and 
other  necessaries  for  a  dinner  table :  between  the 
cluster  of  shelves  above,  a  small  splayed  mirror  might 
be  fixed,  arranged  to  reflect  the  many  objects  set  on 
the  buffet,  and  to  help  to  brighten  the  room.  Perhaps, 
for  convenience  of  serving,  the  central  portion  might 
be  made  into  a  sliding  hatch  communicating  with  the 
small  back  parlour  or  breakfast -room,  or  a  light  lift 
from  the  basement  might  easily  be  made  to  run  up  in 
the  lower  portion  ;  on  either  side  might  be  repoussd 
copper  or  brass  sconces  for  candles,  so  arranged  as  to 
light  not  only  the  buffet,  but  the  end  or  side  of  the 
room  at  which  it  stands.  Whatever  portion  of  the 
work  is  made  solid,  it  should  be  brought  down  close 
to  the  floor  with  a  slight  plinth,  so  as  not  to  allow 
space  for  the  accumulation  of  dirt  and  dust,  which 
cannot  be  cleaned  away  without  moving  the  furniture. 
The  panels  of  the  doors,  when  sufficiently  high  to  be 


184  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 

seen,  might  be  filled  in  with  low  carving  in  relief,  in 
box  or  other  hard  wood,  as  a  contrast  to  the  other 
work,  or  with  marquetry  or  Japanese  lac  panels,  but 
the  use  of  miniature  carving,  fretwork,  or  turned 
balusters  a  few  inches  in  height,  should  be  avoided 
as  bad  in  taste  and  form,  and  expensive  ;  all  supports 
for  shelving  above  should  be  as  light  as  possible,  so  as 
not  to  hide  the  objects  with  which  they  are  filled  ; 
the  backs  may  be  formed  of  plain  deal,  covered  with 
stamped  leather  or  some  other  light  stuff ;  the  general 
furniture  should  be,  as  a  rule,  en  suite,  essentially  useful 
and  comfortable,  and  free  from  anachronisms  which  are 
offensive  and  objectionable. 

I  see  no  reason  why  pitch-pine  or  deal  should  not 
be  much  more  largely  used  in  dining-rooms  for  buffets 
and  panelling.  These  can  either  be  simply  treated  in 
plain  lacquer  colour,  or  can  be  worked  out  with  the 
greatest  elaboration  of  colour  and  ornamental  design 
and  figure  decoration  on  quite  plain  surfaces,  and  I 
fancy  that  our  rooms  would  be  much  more  cheerful 
if  the  money  expended  on  cuttings  and  turnings 
and  costly  carvings  were  to  be  devoted  to  good 
artistic  panel  decoration  on  flat  surfaces,  like  some 
of  the  old  painted  furniture  of  the  fourteenth  and 
fifteenth  centuries.    Carving  is  apt  to  get  filled  up 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


185 


with  dirt,  and  requires  constant  care  and  time  in 
cleaning. 

In  olden  days,  the  most  distinguished  artists  were 
not  ashamed  to  devote  their  talents  to  panel  painting, 
and  my  friend  Mr.  Marks,  and  other  eminent 
artists  of  our  own  day,  have  shown  us  how  furniture 
can  be  artistically  decorated.  Why  should  we  not 
have  furniture  painted  with  hunting  or  sporting  scenes, 
stories  of  home  life  of  town  and  country,  and  thus 
bring  into  the  dinginess  of  our  rooms  some  elements 
of  good  artistic  painting,  even  as  the  Italians  were 
accustomed  to  decorate  their  buffets,  elbow  chairs,  and 
couches  with  beautifully  depicted  stones,  telling  of  the 
riches  and  magnificence  of  the  citizens  who  possessed 
them,  and  of  the  ability  of  the  painters  who  adorned 
them  ?  One  good  painted  panel  is  worth  ten  thousand 
times  more  than  all  the  meretricious  carving  with 
which  so  much  of  our  modern  furniture  is  filled.  The 
furniture  so  decorated  not  only  does  its  duty,  but 
speaks  and  tells  a  story.  Good  deal  panelling  painted 
red,  or  some  other  warm  colour,  if  free  from  elaborate 
mouldings  and  carvings,  is  almost  as  inexpensive  as 
some  of  the  gorgeous  pattern  flock- papers  painted  in 
several  tints,  with  which  it  is  considered  necessary 
to  make  dull  and  heavy  the  walls  of  many  a  town 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


room.  Above  all,  let  the  room  be  light  and  cheerful, 
the  furniture  strong,  comfortable,  and  serviceable,  and 
avoid  everything  which  takes  away,  so  to  speak, 
from  the  freedom  of  the  room.  For  lighting,  I  would 
suggest  a  central  hanging-lamp,  with  good  shade  of 
subdued  or  warm  tinted  glass,  throwing  a  pleasant  soft 
light  upon  the  table,  without  the  heat  and  glare  of  the 
filthy  compound  which  gas  companies  of  the  present 
day  are  content  to  give  us  long-suffering  inhabitants. 
Nothing  tends  to  make  an  otherwise  pleasant  dinner 
so  miserable  and  enervating  as  the  heat  and  stuffiness 
engendered  in  a  brief  space  of  time  by  this  nineteenth- 
century  abomination. 

As  regards  the  floor,  the  practice  of  covering  the 
whole  with  carpets,  good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  answers 
no  purpose  but  to  increase  the  upholsterer's  bill,  and  to 
keep  up  a  dust  trap  which  is  not  got  rid  of  until  the 
times  of  the  annual  spring  or  autumn  cleaning.  Paint 
or  stain  and  varnish  the  floor  2  or  3  feet  all  round 
in  some  good-wearing  dark  colour,  by  which  two-thirds 
of  the  cost  of  the  often  useless,  elaborate,  and  expensive 
carpet  bordering  is  saved,  and  put  the  money  thus 
saved  into  some  good  Indian  or  Persian  carpet,  which, 
while  warm  and  comfortable  to  the  feet,  is  grateful  and 
pleasant,  with  its  harmonious  colouring,  to  the  eye. 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


187 


The  design  and  colouring  of  most  carpets  have 
been  materially  improved  in  the  last  few  years,  but  we 
have  not  quite  got  rid  of  the  atrocious  floral  and  other 
sprawling  patterns  of  our  fathers'  time.  In  Kidder- 
minster, Brussels,  and  Wilton  carpets  there  are  now 
innumerable  simple  designs  with  no  distinct  or  staring 
patterns,  quiet  in  colouring,  and  moderately  inexpen- 
sive, and  a  square  carpet  with  a  simple  border  may 
be  made  with  any  of  these,  to  cover  the  central  portion 
of  the  room.  As  a  general  rule,  carpets  should  be 
darker  in  tone  than  the  general  wall  decoration,  so  as 
to  form  a  good  background  for  the  furniture  placed 
upon  them.  Turkey  carpets  are  not  always  satis- 
factory, because  the  pattern  is  destroyed  or  broken 
up  by  the  table,  instead  of  being  entirely  seen,  when 
used  for  its  original  purpose  of  reclining.  The  carpets 
themselves  are  expensive  from  their  elaboration  of  make 
and  design,  and  it  seems  waste  of  money  to  buy  such 
coverings  for  dining-room  floors,  where  the  best  part 
of  the  pattern  is  practically  hidden  by  the  dining-table. 

As  regards  colours,  bear  in  mind  that,  for  all  prac- 
tical purposes,  pure  red  may  be  said  to  be  a  perfect 
contrast  to  pure  green,  pure  yellow  to  purple,  and 
blue  to  orange.  Many  of  you  understand  harmonious 
grouping  of  colours,  but  few  study  the  causes. 


i88 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


A  plain  brass  pole,  or  piece  of  gas  piping,  is 
ample  for  curtain  rods.  Nothing  can  be  worse  than 
the  heavy  lacquered  brass  or  wood  poles  and  unmean- 
ing fringe  valances,  which  only  serve  to  show  dirt  and 
dust,  and  are  execrable  in  taste. 

The  library  of  the  house  should  also  be  as  com- 
fortable as  possible,  with  broad  easy  chairs,  low 
centre  table  for  books  and  periodicals,  a  large 
pedestal  desk  with  circular  revolving  top,  to  shut  up 
all  papers  and  keep  them  free  from  dust.  This  kind 
of  desk  I  consider  invaluable  to  any  man  who  really 
uses  his  library  as  a  work-room,  whether  it  be  for 
real  literary  work  and  study,  or  for  the  ordinary  ex- 
amination and  arrangement  of  household  accounts  ; 
for  it  is  quite  impossible,  on  an  ordinary  writing 
table,  to  keep  papers  clean  or  tidy,  and  this  circular- 
headed  desk  shuts  down  at  once  papers  as  they 
lie,  which  then  cannot  be  '  tidied  '  by  the  housemaid, 
who  would  seem  to  take  a  pleasure  in  putting  away 
papers  and  notes  in  all  kinds  of  out-of-the-way  corners  ; 
the  desk  should  have  plenty  of  drawers  and  pigeon- 
holes ;  these  latter,  not  as  many  of  them  are,  an  inch  too 
narrow  or  two  inches  too  wide  for  ordinary  letters,  but 
all  made  for  the  objects  for  which  they  are  intended. 
It  may  seem  absurd  to  say — think  carefully  of  the  use 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


to  which  the  drawers  are  to  be  put  —but  how  often  are 
they  practically  useless  or  wasteful  of  precious  room, 
by  being  made  shallower  or  deeper  than  is  required. 
The  room  should  be  surrounded  with  bookcases,  the 
lower  portion  made  to  take  large  books,  and  with  some 
part  of  it  covered  in  with  cupboard  fronts,  with  shelving 
inside  to  file  away  periodicals  and  papers ;  the  shelf 
which  this  lower  projection  forms' will  do  admirably  for 
the  arrangement  of  ornaments,  small  busts,  or  other 
personal  things,  with  which  a  man  crowds  the  room  he 
really  lives  in  ;  of  course,  I  am  speaking  to  those  who 
make  a  den  or  working  room  of  their  library,  and  not 
to  those  who  fit  a  back  room  up  with  various  tiers  of 
shelving,  on  which  are  arranged  a  library  of  books 
which  are  seldom  looked  at,  and  where  the  room  is 
only  occasionally  used,  and  that  only  for  the  purpose  of 
a  cloak  room  on  grand  occasions.  Above  this  lower 
nest  of  cupboards  and  shelving  should  be  shelving 
arranged  for  various  sizes  of  books,  part  carried  up  all 
round  the  room,  so  as  to  be  within  easy  reach ;  the  top 
of  these  will  be  found  useful  for  china  or  busts,  or  other 
objects  of  art,  while  the  centre  portions  may  be  carried 
up  to  the  ceiling  to  give  greater  accommodation  ;  all 
these  breaks  will  take  away  from  the  stiffness  of  the 
room,  and,  if  properly  arranged,  will  all  assist  in  making 


190 


the  library  a  room  pleasant  to  work  or  play  in.  All 
this  kind  of  work  can  be  made  of  plain  deal,  stained 
and  polished,  and  is  infinitely  cheaper  than  the  elabo- 
rate moveable  cases  of  wainscot  or  walnut,  in  which  the 
aim  of  the  designer  seems  often  to  make  the  frame- 
work as  expensive  as  possible,  whereas,  in  truth,  the 
books  within  are  really  what  should  be  thought  of  and 
cared  for. 

I  give  an  example,  in  Plate  XVII.,  of  a  simple 
mantel-piece  with  cupboards  for  pipes  or  other  odds 
and  ends,  and  wall  shelving  and  cupboards,  executed 
in  deal  at  a  very  moderate  cost,  for  the  fitting  up  of  a 
small  library  in  an  ordinary  town  house. 

The  floor  should  be  painted  or  stained  and  var- 
nished all  over,  so  as  to  be  easily  cleaned  and  dusted, 
and  everything  that  is  likely  to  permanently  hold  dust 
should  be  avoided.  On  the  floor,  thus  painted,  a  few 
cheap  Indian  or  other  rugs  may  be  laid  about  in  places 
where  most  necessary  and  useful. 

Too  much  trouble  cannot  be  taken  to  make  the 
library  a  pleasant  room  to  live  in  ;  it  should  have 
everything  arranged  and  adapted  for  use  and  comfort, 
and  not  be  stiff  and  dreary  with  any  set  arrangement. 
The  panels  of  the  cupboard  doors  may  be  filled  in  with 
Japanese  lacquer  work  or  painted  decoration,  and  here 


Plate  N°  17. 


A  Ltbrary^lantel  Piece •&£ . 

•  Showing  •  arrangement  •  of •Wallspace  • 


ROBERT   W  .  EDIS  ,  F.S.A.  ARCHITECT 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


and  there,  in  the  recesses,  nests  of  shelves  may  be 
fitted  with  projecting  brackets,  designed  as  part  of 
them,  for  pieces  of  china,  vases  of  flowers,  or  busts,  and 
not  looking  like  bats  stuck  on  to  a  barn  door. 

I  must  not  omit  to  say  that  in  the  lower  portion  of 
the  bookcase  should  be  arranged  drawers — not  carried 
down  to  the  floor,  for  these  are  inconvenient — for 
use  for  prints  and  valuable  photographs  and  sketches. 

The  library  should  be  essentially  home-like,  with 
the  wall  space  fitted  up  as  conveniently  as  possible  ; 
on  the  top  of  the  bookcases  or  nests  of  shelves,  spring- 
roller  blinds  might  be  easily  arranged  in  the  cornices 
to  draw  down  at  night  or  other  times,  and  fasten  with 
clips  to  protect  and  preserve  the  books,  etc.,  within 
them. 

I  might  offer  many  other  suggestions  for  the  de- 
coration and  furniture  of  the  rooms  I  have  specially 
referred  to.  I  trust  those  I  have  made  will  be  found 
of  some  practical  use,  and  that,  above  all,  you  will 
believe  that  my  aim  throughout  has  been  to  avoid  all 
dogmatic  and  set  rules  of  fashion  or  design,  and  to 
insist  only  that  truth  and  beauty  of  form  and  colour, 
combined  with  fitness  and  common  sense,  are  the  main 
elements  of  all  true  artistic  treatment  in  decoration  and 
furniture  of  modern  houses. 


192 


LECTURE  V. 

THE  DRAWING-ROOM  AND  BOUDOIR,  BEDROOMS, 
NURSERIES,  AND  OFFICES. 

The  drawing-rooms  of  a  town  house  should  be  the 
rooms  of  all  others  in  which  good  taste,  both  in 
decoration  and  furniture,  should  be  everywhere  appar- 
ent. The  rooms  wherein  we  practically  live,  talk,  play, 
and  receive  our  guests  are  essentially  the  ladies'  rooms 
of  the  house,  and  should  be  decorated  in  a  pleasant, 
cheerful  manner,  without  stiffness  or  formality.  The 
walls  should  be  pleasant  objects  to  look  upon,  not  cold 
and  dreary  blanks  of  mere  one-tinted  paper,  varied 
perhaps  with  birds,  or  bunches  of  flowers  in  gold, 
scattered  here  and  there  in  monotonous  array. 

The  furniture  should  essentially  be  comfortable, 
couches  and  chairs  pleasant  to  lounge  and  really  rest 
upon,  not  so-called  artistic  monstrosities,  on  which  it  is 
impossible  to  do  one  or  the  other.  The  rooms  should, 
above  all,  look  and  be  home-like  in  all  their  arrange- 


TOWN  HOUSES. 


193 


ments,  with  ornaments,  books,  and  flowers,  not  merely- 
arranged  for  show,  but  for  pleasant  study  or  recreation. 
Here,  especially,  the  usual  good  taste  of  the  ladies  of 
the  house  may  find,  if  they  will,  innumerable  ways  of 
rendering  their  especial  quarter  of  the  house  bright 
and  cheerful,  and  one  in  which  the  home  circle,  as  well 
as  guests,  may  feel  at  once  at  ease  and  at  rest. 

But  here  I  must  protest  against  fluffy  wool  mats 
scattered  about  the  tables,  antimacassars  of  lace, 
worsted,  or  other  work  hung  loosely  over  the  backs  of 
the  chairs  and  sofas,  velvet-covered  brackets,  with  use- 
less fringe  fixed  on  with  brass-headed  nails,  on  which 
too  often  are  placed  trumpery  bits  of  Dresden  or  other 
china,  in  the  shape  of  dogs,  cats,  or  birds.  The  wool 
mats  and  velvet-covered  brackets    are  nothing  but 

o 

traps  for  dirt  and  dust,  while  the  loose  antimacassars 
are  an  endless  source  of  untidiness  and  annoyance. 
By  all  means  have  coverings  to  protect  the  chair-backs, 
if  you  will,  but  let  them  be  of  some  good  embroidered 
stuff  or  well-designed  crewel  work,  fixed  securely  to 
the  chair  or  sofa-backs,  so  as  not  to  be  liable  to  be 
carried  off  as  pendants  to  the  fringe  of  a  lady's  dress, 
or  to  the  buttons  of  a  gentleman's  coat. 

Any  scheme  of  decoration,  therefore,  which  shall 
consist  merely  of  so-called  artistic  papers,  arranged  in 

o 


194 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


two  or  more  heights,  in  the  present  indiscriminate 
fashion,  without  reference  to  the  proportion  of  the 
rooms,  high  or  low,  long  or  square,  or  of  stiff  spider- 
legged  furniture,  of  would-be  quaintness  in  make  or 
shape,  covered  with  creton  or  stuff,  more  or  less  to 
match  the  paper ;  anything,  indeed,  that  shall  give  a 
cold,  comfortless,  not-to-be-touched  appearance,  a  sort 
of  culminating  finish  of  so-called  high  art  decoration,  is 
as  much  a  mistake  as  the  dreary  lifeless  formality,  of 
the  gilt  and  ginger-bread  type,  of  imitation  French 
work,  so  long  affected. 

The  art  work  in  the  room  should  assist,  not  take 
away  from,  its  home-like  feeling.  We  want  a  room 
we  can  live  in,  delight  in,  and  be  really  at  home  in  ; 
not  a  museum  in  which  we  may  walk  about  and 
admire,  but  must  not  touch,  in  which  everything  seems 
got  up  in  the  highest  art  fashion,  which  you  are  to 
look  at  and  say,  '  How  pretty !  how  lovely ! '  but 
which,  somehow  or  other,  will  probably  lead  many 
common-sense  people  to  go  away  dissatisfied,  and 
think  that  if  this  kind  of  frozen  art  is  the  real  artistic 
bread  we  are  to  partake  of,  there  is  but  little  real  satis- 
faction in  it.  Surely  all  this  kind  of  stilted  decoration 
is  giving  a  stone  when  people  are  asking  for  bread. 

A  drawing-room  should  not  only  contain  works  of 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


195 


art,  and  books  for  pleasant  study,  but  should  also  be  a 
room  in  which  you  need  not  fear  to  move  or  joke,  or 
have  that  always  pleasant  hour  before  dinner  with  the 
younger  members  of  the  house.  If  the  room  be  bright 
and  cheerful,  with  art  work  of  all  kinds  about,  these 
little  ones  will  be  imperceptibly  undergoing  a  pleasant 
mental  training,  while  they  will  not  be  made  to  feel 
that  art  is  a  thing  of  which  they  are  to  be  afraid,  or  by 
which  their  pleasant  young  feelings  and  joy  of  life  are 
to  be  frozen  and  subdued.  Do  not  make  children 
believe  that  they  must  not  move  or  play  in  a  room, 
because  they  will  disturb  or  damage  the  art  furniture, 
ornaments,  or  set  arrangement,  or  they  will  learn  to 
detest  so-called  high  art,  as  intensely  as  I  fear  many  of 
them  do  going  to  church,  from  the  injudiciousness  of 
some  parents  forcing  upon  them,  in  early  life,  an  over- 
dose of  it. 

The  one  unfortunate  thing  to  my  mind  nowadays 
is  the  everlasting  seeking  after  some  novelty  in  papers, 
curtains,  or  other  hangings.  We  seem  never  satisfied 
unless  we  can  make  our  rooms  different  from  those 
of  our  neighbours.  Decoration  is  being  done  as  a 
fashion,  not  from  any  real  love  of  it.  Of  course,  we 
should  not  like  to  see  room  after  room  repeating  itself 
in  decoration,  but  I  see  no  reason  why  a  few  really 

o  2 


196 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


good  papers  should  not  be  the  ground-work  of  real 
artistic  decoration — when  the  narrowness  of  worldly 
circumstances  prevents  the  more  elaborate  and  more 
expensive  artistic  hand  decoration  in  paint  or  dis- 
temper— and  let  the  rest  follow  from  the  design  of  the 
artist  ;  then  we  might  hope  for  real  art  work,  instead 
of  the  cold  formality  and  everlasting  interchange  of 
two  or  three  colours.  As  a  critical  writer  on  art 
decoration  has  said,  1  If  the  papers  on  our  walls,  and 
the  curtains  we  hang  in  our  rooms,  were,  even  at 
second  hand,  but  the  record  of  the  fresh  impressions 
and  the  graceful  fancies  of  artists  of  our  own  day, 
instead  of  being  encumbered  with  mechanical  pattern 
work,  struggling  to  be  artistic,  it  would  be  better  than 
all  the  present  miserable  striving  after  novelty/  Mr. 
William  Morris,  artist  and  poet,  has,  to  my  mind, 
realised  this  in  many  of  his  designs  for  wall  papers  and 
hangings.  Not  to  have  what  your  neighbour  pos- 
sesses is  the  bane  of  decorative  art ;  if  we  could  give 
some  one  the  monopoly  of  some  half-dozen  or  a  dozen 
really  good  papers,  plain  and  good  chairs  and  tables, 
we  should  be  at  peace  ;  1  the  refinement  of  luxury 
would  make  frugality  once  more  possible/ 

Without  in  any  way  seeking  to  object  to  or  despise 
real  individuality  or  originality  in  art  decoration,  I 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


197 


must  protest  against  the  craving  after  eccentricity  and 
so-called  novelty  which  is  called  '  originality,'  and  the 
striving  after  quaintness,  bad  in  taste  and  effect,  which 
is  called  '  individuality.'  The  individuality  of  the  true 
artist  will  show  itself  in  many  ways  through  the  house, 
in  the  tone  and  treatment  of  the  colouring  and  furni- 
ture of  the  various  rooms,  in  all  of  which  there  will 
be  grace  and  beauty,  and  harmony  of  general  effect 
and  contrast  ;  and  in  the  general  arrangement  of  the 
furniture,  whether  eclectic  or  of  some  distinct  style  and 
design,  and  in  the  happy  grouping  of  ornament,  which, 
while  seemingly  careless,  shall  yet  be  studied  and 
effective  ;  so  that,  although  there  be  perhaps  a  distinct 
difference  from  other  houses,  marking  the  artistic 
individuality  of  the  owner,  there  will  be  no  stagey  and 
striking  effects,  no  glaring  colours,  or  fantastic  forms  to 
tire  and  offend  the  eye.  I  venture  to  think  that  any 
room  or  house  decorated  after  some  set  form,  so  that 
it  be  stamped  as  the  work  of  this  or  that  fashionable 
decorator,  is  utterly  a  mistake  ;  an  example  of  that 
fashion  which  throughout  I  have  sought  to  deprecate, 
and  of  a  set  style  which  is  based  on  fashion  only,  and 
which,  in  a  few  short  years,  will  have  to  give  place  to 
some  other  style. 

The  aim  of  all  true  artists  should  be  so  to  design 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


and  decorate  the  buildings  of  to-day  that  they  may  be 
looked  upon  as  equally  beautiful,  equally  artistic,  and 
equally  appropriate  a  hundred  years  hence  ;  and  that 
-as  we  to-day  look  with  pleasure  and  admiration  on  the 
work  done  two  thousand  years  ago  in  Pompeii,  so 
may  we  have  decoration  in  our  day  and  generation 
which,  in  future  times,  shall  be  looked  upon  with  equal 
pleasure  and  delight.  I  can  conceive  nothing  more 
opposed  to  all  true  decorative  taste  than  to  have  one 
room  Pompeiian,  a  second  mediaeval,  and  a  third 
Queen  Anne,  or  modern  Jacobean,  while,  to  complete 
the  anachronisms  of  the  house,  a  fourth  should  be  gilt 
and  carved  to  imitate  a  Chinese  joss-house  or  an 
Indian  temple ;  if  the  general  effect  be  not  vulgar  and 
trashy,  it  will  be  suggestive  of  no  real  thought  or  feel- 
ing, but  rather  of  that  poverty  of  invention  and  artistic 
design  which  finds  shelter  under  the  adaptation  bodily 
of  other  men's  work. 

The  true  artist  should  have  an  ideal  of  his  own, 
of  simple  refinement  and  graceful  completeness,  which 
will  save  him  or  her  from  the  temptation  of  extrava- 
gance. As  a  rule,  it  is  the  mere  decorator  who  makes 
art  decoration  costly  and  extravagant ;  he  or  she 
cannot  see  that  simplicity  of  colour  and  treatment 
are  better  than  all  the  heavy  work  of  set  patterns, 


199 


all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow,  or  all  the  gold  they  can 
use. 

In  the  drawing-room  a  dado  is  not,  as  a  rule, 
desirable,  but  this  will  of  course  depend  on  the 
character  and  design  of  the  furniture  and  proportion 
of  the  room.  Cabinets,  book-cases,  and  general  furni- 
ture of  unequal  size  and  height  are  better  framed 
against  the  eeneral  colour  of  the  walls  than  cut  in  two 
by  a  dividing  dado,  or  chair  rail.  I  would  retain  a 
broad  frieze  under  the  cornice  at  the  top  of  the  room, 
and  decorate  it,  if  possible,  with  good  figure  decora- 
tion, either  in  oil  or  distemper.  Anyway,  try  to  have 
some  pleasant  lines  of  colour  in  the  upper  frieze,  with 
distemper  and  stencil  ornament,  of  good  form,  or,  if 
you  have  nothing  better,  get  some  of  the  exquisite 
Japanese  drawings  of  birds  and  flowers,  and  frame 
them  in  panels,  but,  above  all,  avoid  stiff  conventional 
decoration,  which,  however  well  done,  is  always  lifeless 
and  unsatisfactory,  and  tires  and  palls  upon  the  eye  in 
a  very  short  time.  Under  this  frieze  may  be  a  broad 
gilt  or  painted  moulding,  with  picture  rods  of  light 
painted  or  gilt  iron,  as  I  have  before  suggested. 
Below,  the  walls  should  be  covered  with  some  good 
decorative  paper,  a  paper  which  will  look  bright  and 
cheerful  with  or  without  pictures ;  such  an  one  is 


200 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


Messrs.  Morris's  1  pomegranate '  pattern  ;  but  there 
are  very  many  others  of  equally  good  design,  and 
there  need  be  no  difficulty,  therefore,  in  selecting  such 
a  covering  at  no  greater  cost  than  the  French  papers 
with  which  it  has  been  thought  necessary  to  cover  our 
walls  so  long.  The  stamped  French  papers,  although 
quiet  in  tone,  are  generally  cold  and  lifeless  in  colour- 
ing and  design.  Avoid  stiff  and  staring  patterns,  raised 
patterns,  and  all  patterns  where  lilies,  primroses,  and 
other  flowers  are  frozen  into  conventional  forms,  and 
have  an  unnatural  and  lifeless  look. 

As  regards  the  colour  of  the  woodwork  in  a  draw- 
ing-room, this  must  depend  much  upon  the  paper  or 
general  tone  of  wall  colouring  selected.  Such  a  paper 
as  that  I  have  named,  having  in  itself  such  a  power  of 
colour,  looks  well  framed  in  with  black  ;  if  black  is 
used,  it  should  be  finished  in  what  is  technically  called 
half,  or  bastard  flat ;  for,  as  a  rule,  any  varnish  or  glaze 
would  make  the  black  too  pronounced  ;  if  gold  is  used, 
it  should  be  in  masses,  and  not  in  thin  lines  ;  the 
panels,  therefore,  should  be  entirely  gilt,  and  can 
hereafter  be  decorated  with  flowers,  painted  slightly  in 
their  natural  colours  on  the  gold  ground. 

In  the  illustration  which  forms  the  frontispiece  of  this 
book,  '  a  drawing-room  corner,'  I  give  a  sketch  of  my 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


20I 


own  drawing-room,  showing  what  can  be  done  in  the 
drawing-room  of  an  ordinary  London  house.  The 
general  tone  of  the  woodwork  is  black,  painted  in  what 
is  technically  called  '  bastard  flat/  the  panels  of  the 
doors  and  shutters  being  covered  with  gold  leaf  as  a 
ground  for  painted  decoration  of  flowers  or  birds. 
The  general  wall  surface  is  covered  with  Morris's 
pomegranate  pattern  paper  of  bluish  grey  ground,  with 
exceedingly  good  decorative  effect  in  colour  of  fruit 
and  flowers.  This  paper  has  been  on  the  walls  for 
over  ten  years,  and  is  as  good  to-day  as  it  was  when 
first  put  on.  The  wall  space  is  divided  about  3  feet 
6  inches  below  the  cornice,  with  a  plain  flat  gilt  mould- 
ing, under  which  is  a  simple  \  inch  gas  pipe,  also 
gilt,  as  a  picture  rod.  Above  this  the  wall  space  or 
frieze  has  been  lined  all  round  with  canvas  pasted  on 
to  the  plaster,  and  on  this  Mr.  Marks  has  painted  a 
decorative  frieze,  consisting  of  figures,  birds  and  foliage 
representing  no  particular  subjects,  but  all  harmonising 
well  with  the  general  tone  of  the  walls,  and  brighten- 
ing up  the  whole  room  with  good  drawing  and  pleasant 
naturalistic  colouring,  all  treated  decoratively  in  bands 
of  colour  with  figures,  birds  and  foliage  breaking  up 
the  general  lines.  The  cabinet  shown  is  of  mahogany 
ebonised,  free  from  all  mouldings  and  carving,  and 


202 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


designed  especially  for  china  and  books,  with  drawers 
for  photographs  and  prints,  the  panels  filled  in  with 
painted  heads,  representing  the  four  seasons.  The 
floor  surface  is  painted  dark  brown,  and  the  centre 
space  covered  with  an  Indian  carpet,  the  ceiling 
being  slightly  toned  in  colour. 

For  a  drawing-room  in  a  large  house,  where,  to  a 
certain  extent,  it  is  required  only  for  great  entertain- 
ments— the  ladies'  sitting-room  and  general  friendly  re- 
ception-room being  provided  for  in  some  smaller  room 
in  the  house — a  rich  and  effective  treatment  of  the  wall 
would  be  with  a  low  panelled  dado  of  dark  black, 
with  a  delicate  inlaying  of  ivory-toned  ornament,  the 
doors  and  general  woodwork  being  painted  to  match, 
the  general  wall  surface  painted  bright  warm-coloured 
golden  yellow,  and  powdered  all  over  with  a  flower 
pattern  or  diaper  of  a  darker  tone  of  golden  brown, 
the  frieze  being  coloured  in  a  delicate  vellum  or  ivory 
tone,  with  arabesque  or  figure  decoration  in  black,  the 
cornice  treated  with  delicate  shades  of  brown  and 
green,  and  the  ceiling  slightly  tinted  to  match  the 
frieze. 

I  saw  lately  a  drawing-room  of  a  newly  built  so- 
called  Queen  Anne  house,-  in  which  the  whole  of  the 
lower  portion  of  the  walls  was  covered  with  a  good 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


203 


golden  yellow  pattern  paper,  the  woodwork  painted  a 
vellum  or  cream-coloured  white  and  varnished,  and 
the  frieze  formed  in  decorative  plaster-work  in  very 
slight  relief,  like  Adam's  work ;  the  ceiling  formed 
after  similar  designs,  and  all  slightly  tinted  like 
Wedgwood  ware.  The  general  appearance  was  bright 
and  cheerful,  and  the  low  tone  of  colour  throughout 
formed  an  excellent  contrast  to  the  Persian  rugs, 
marquetry  furniture,  blue  and  white  china,  and  other 
decorative  objects  in  the  room  ;  there  was  a  bright 
home-like  look,  pleasant  to  see,  and  yet  it  was 
eminently  an  artistic  room,  in  which  money  had  in 
no  way  been  lavishly  or  carelessly  expended. 

I  give  a  few  other  examples  for  the  general  treat- 
ment of  the  cclouring  and  decoration  of  drawing- 
rooms  which  have  been  carried  out  by  my  friend  Mr. 
Crace,  and  which  suggest  themselves  as  generally 
good  in  treatment : — 

1.  Drawing-room,  about  28  ft.  by  18  ft.,  and  14  ft. 
high. — Adam's  ceiling,  in  low  relief,  tinted  in  '  Wedg- 
wood '  colouring  ;  the  cornice  relieved  in  somewhat 
stronger  tones  ;  the  walls  hung  with  '  brocade '  paper 
of  pale  Indian  blue,  divided  by  pilasters  of '  Adam's ' 
arabesques,  painted  in  quiet  tones  of  brown,  warm 
greens,  and  russets,  with  carved  medallions  in  each. 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


Dado  and  woodwork  of  quiet  cream  tint,  with  line 
ornaments  in  drab  and  gold. 

2.  Drawing-room,  30  ft.  by  18  ft.,  and  13  ft.  6  in. 
high. — The  plain  ceiling  was  divided  into  three,  and 
ornamented  with  plaster  enrichment  in  low  relief,  very 
lightly  tinted,  and  slightly  relieved  by  gilding,  cornice 
picked  out  to  harmonise  with  the  walls.  The  walls 
hung  with  crimson  ground  1  brocade '  paper,  with  a 
pattern  in  very  dull  white  and  gold  ;  the  dado  and 
woodwork  black  and  gold,  with  margins  of  rich  maroon, 
next  the  gilt  mouldings  of  the  panels. 

3.  A  boudoir,  16  ft.  square,  and  nearly  as  high. — 
Plain  ceiling,  decorated  in  arabesques  of  quiet  colours. 
Walls  divided  by  an  architrave  moulding,  or  picture 
rail,  so  as  to  reduce  their  extreme  height  ;  the  upper 

3  ft.  6  in.  painted  with  ornament  on  light  ground  ;  the 
lower  portion  hung  with  silk  damask  of  quiet  tone  of 
pale  blue  ;  dado  and  woodwork  light,  with  gold  lines 
and  fine  stencil  decoration  ;  curtains  light,  with  a  little 
blue  introduced. 

4.  Small  drawing-room  or  boudoir,  12  ft.  high. — 
Flat  ceiling,  panelled  out  with  a  painting  about  8  ft.  by 

4  ft.  in  centre,  with  low  relief  ornament  outside  this. 
The  whole  room  panelled  9  ft.  high,  with  pale  wains- 
cot oak ;  the  space  above  this  hung  with  embossed 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


205 


leather  paper,  with  pattern  in  gold,  and  colours  of  a 
light  dull  green  tone.  Curtains,  silk  and  wool 
tapestry.  Floor,  oak,  rather  darker  than  walls,  with 
Oriental  carpets.  Furniture,  dark  mahogany ;  the 
coverings  varied  to  some  extent.  A  few  water-colours 
hung  on  the  oak  panelling  ;  chimney-piece  carried  up 
in  light  oak,  with  arrangement  for  bronzes,  statuettes 
in  side  niches,  and  spaces  for  china. 

5.  Boudoir. — Ceiling  divided  with  set  panels  by 
ribs  of  cedar  colour.  Centre  octagon,  with  radiating 
foliage  on  gold  ground  ;  eight  circular  panels  con- 
taining paintings  of  children,  alternately  two  and  one, 
representing  the  months  ;  the  other  panels  delicately 
bordered  with  stencilling.  Cornice  cedar  colour  and 
gold.  Walls  hung  with  a  mixed  silk  material  of  small 
pattern ;  mixed  gold  and  greenish  blue.  Dado  of 
cedar  about  4  ft.  6  in.  high,  with  narrow  shelf  for  small 
china,  &c.  Stonework  of  window  and  recesses  deco- 
rated with  bramble  foliage  in  russet  green  on  the  stone 
ground.  Floor,  oak  parquet,  with  Indian  carpet. 
Chimney-piece  carried  up  and  coved  into  ceiling  ;  dark 
walnut  and  gold,  with  some  embroidery  on  velvet 
panels.    Cabinets  to  match. 

In  the  treatment  of  the  drawing-rooms  much  must 
naturally  depend  upon  the  light  and  aspect,  the  special 


2o5 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


uses  to  which  the  rooms  are  intended  to  be  put,  and 
any  special  objects  which  may  be  intended  to  become 
features  in  their  ultimate  finish.    The  same  tones  of 
colour  which  might  be  selected  as  a  ground  for  old 
pictures  would  rarely  be  equally  favourable  for  water- 
colour  drawings.    In  some  rooms  the  repose  of  quiet 
tones  is  demanded,  in  others  light  and  cheerful  colouring 
is  desirable ;  and  whereas,  in  ordinary  town  houses, 
any  decoration  which  favours  the  lodgment  of  dust  is 
to  be  avoided,  this  condition  need  not  be  so  strictly 
enforced  in  the  country  ;  hence,  in  the  country,  away 
from  dirt  and  smoke,  wall  hangings,  whether  of  silk, 
tapestry,  or  other  stuff,  may  often  be  used,  and  give 
an  air  of  comfort  and  completeness  which  cannot  be 
obtained  with  mere  paperhangings,  beyond  which  there 
is  a  play  of  light  and  colour  in  a  woven  fabric,  hanging 
to  the  wall,  very  different  from  the  absolute  flatness  of 
tone  resulting  from  paint,  or  paper-hanging  pasted  to 
the  surface.    This  fact  has  led  some  manufacturers, 
both  in  this  country  and  in  France,  to  seek  to  produce 
the  appearance  and  effect  of  woven  fabrics  by  various 
methods  of  relieving  or  embossing  the  surfaces  of  their 
papers.     Very   ingenious  and  clever  are  some  of 
these  productions,  and  the  reproductions  of  ancient 
brocades,  cut  velvets,  etc.,  by  M.  Balin,  of  Paris,  are 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


207 


excellent  examples  of  what  enterprise  and  skilful 
handicraft  can  do.  It  is,  perhaps,  unfair  to  exclude 
from  consideration,  on  the  mere  score  of  their  being 
imitations,  papers  like  these,  which  are  distinctly 
decorative  and  agreeable. 

In  the  case  of  the  paper  imitations  or  reproductions 
of  the  ancient  embossed  leathers,  they  must  not  be 
considered  as  mere  imitations,  because  the  result  on 
the  surface  is,  or  may  be  made,  the  same  in  one  as  in 
the  other  ;  for  it  is  quite  as  legitimate  to  emboss  and 
gild  or  ornament  the  surface  of  thick  paper,  as  that  of 
leather  or  any  other  material. 

These  embossed  leather  papers,  with  their  rich 
tones,  the  slight  play  of  light  from  the  low  relief 
surfaces,  and  with  their  hard  varnished  surfaces,  afford 
an  excellent  wall  covering,  at  a  cost  varying  from  one 
third  to  one  sixth  the  price  of  the  leather.  They  are, 
perhaps,  most  suitable  for  libraries,  dining-rooms,  or 
smoking-rooms,  but  they  may  occasionally  be  used  in 
drawing-room  decoration  with  good  effect. 

Of  course,  with  money,  you  can  do  anything  ;  but 
I  hold  you  may  also  make  your  rooms  quite  as 
beautiful,  quite  as  pleasant,  and  quite  as  artistic  and 
refined,  and  perhaps  a  good  deal  more  home-like, 
with  limited  means,  and  at  small  cost.    This  present 


208 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


age  of  luxury  is,  if  anything,  rather  a  curse  than  a 
help  to  true  art  feeling,  so  much  is  done  for  show  and 
effect,  and  so  little  from  the  real  love  of  the  beauty  and 
grace  of  real  art.  We  do  not  want  museums,  we  want 
homes.  There  are  innumerable  ways  of  making  your 
walls  beautiful  with  stamped  leather,  damask,  and  silk, 
and  tones  of  gold  and  silver,  ivory  and  ebony.  Dark  blue 
and  gold,  dark  red  and  white,  grey  and  red,  chocolate 
and  gold,  all  look  well  when  harmoniously  arranged. 

At  South  Kensington  Museum,  in  the  refreshment 
rooms,  there  are  many  suggestions  for  interchange  of 
colour,  but  all  carried  out  utterly  regardless  of  cost,  and 
the  walls  are  much  too  overladen  and  crowded  with 
detail. 

Another  decorative  treatment  of  a  small  drawing 
or  music-room  would  be  by  panelling  the  lower  portion 
of  the  walls  with  a  deal  dado,  delicately  painted  in 
yellowish  pink  or  blue,  and  covering  the  general  wall 
surface  with  a  golden-toned  paper,  arranged  in  panels 
to  suit  the  proportion  of  the  room,  with  painted  and 
stencil  arabesque  patterns  on  the  dividing  spaces  ;  the 
frieze  treated  with  good  figure  or  ornamental  enrich- 
ment of  canvas-plaster  or  papier  mache  in  low  relief, 
painted  white,  with  a  groundwork  of  reddish  gold  or 
Bartolozzi  engraving  tint.    The  floor  might  have  a 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


209 


border  of  light  ebony  and  maple  or  boxwood  parquet, 
with  a  low-toned  Persian  carpet  in  the  centre,  with 
easy  lounges  or  divans  all  round  the  room  for  rest  and 
comfort,  the  centre  space  being  left  clear  of  furniture, 
so  as  to  allow  of  ample  room  for  guests  passing  through 
to  other  rooms,  or  to  congregate,  whilst  listening  to 
song  or  music.  Or  the  general  tone  of  the  wall  sur- 
face may  be  of  a  bright  bluish  drab-coloured  pattern 
paper,  with  a  frieze  of  small  yellowish  diaper  pattern, 
the  woodwork  throughout  being  painted  in  brighter 
tones  of  blue,  with  mouldings  and  stencil  decoration  on 
white,  like  Wedgwood  china. 

The  examples  of  this  kind  of  treatment  which  I 
have  seen  were  quiet  and  pleasing,  and  looked  exceed- 
ingly well,  where  the  walls  were  lighted  up  with  a  few 
water-colour  drawings,  and  here  and  there  brackets 
with  vases  of  deep  red  and  blue  '  splashed  '  Chinese 
porcelain.  There  are,  of  course,  numerous  other  ways 
of  treating  the  walls  of  a  drawing-room  with  good 
taste  and  pleasant  variety  and  brightness  of  colouring. 
The  examples  I  have  quoted  are  merely  suggestive 
as  giving  a  few  types  of  colouring  and  contrast.  In 
any  treatment  that  may  be  adopted,  let  it  be,  above 
all,  remembered  that  the  walls,  while  bright  and  glow- 
ing in  colour,  should  have  no  staring  patterns  or  design, 

p 


2IO 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


which  give  at  once  to  the  educated  eye  a  feeling  of 
discomfort  and  unrest,  and  tend  materially  to  destroy 
the  harmony  of  the  room. 

The  good  taste  and  agreeable  effect  of  the  room 
will  depend  much  upon  the  skill  with  which  the  wall 
surface  is  divided,  and  by  the  contrast  and  arrange- 
ment of  its  colouring  and  general  belongings.    '  The 
most  harmonious  proportions  may  easily  be  destroyed 
by  an  arrangement  of  wall  paintings,  while,  on  the 
other   hand,    the    narrowest    and   most  inconveni- 
ent spaces  may  often  be  rendered,  not  only  pleasing, 
but  of  comfortable  and  domestic  aspect.    It  is  in 
Pompeii  that  we  learn  more  especially  to  appreciate 
the  magic  effect  of  colour  in  the  adornment  of  walls, 
which  makes  the  rooms,  almost  without  exception 
small,  appear  much  larger  and  more  elegant  than  they 
really   are.    In   this    character   of   decoration,  the 
ornamentation  becomes  substantial  by  the  opposition 
of  colours.    The  contrast,  in  which  white  is  placed  to 
the  darker  tints,  has  likewise  a  magical  effect,  causing 
the  surface  of  the  wall  to  appear,  as  it  were,  broken 
through.    The  blue,  in  opposition  to  dark  red,  pro- 
duces die  illusion  of  aerial  perspective,  throwing  back 
the  actual  plane  of  the  wall,  and  making  it  appear  to 
retire  in  the  distance.' 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


211 


All  kinds  of  tricky,  glaring  conceits  and  eccentrici- 
ties in  colouring  are  equally  wrong  in  house  decoration 
as  in  a  lady's  dress.  There  should  be,  throughout, 
grace  and  beauty  of  design  and  colour,  and  quietness  and 
repose  of  ornamentation.  The  decorative  treatment 
of  some  of  the  rooms  in  the  Prince  of  Wales's  Pavilion, 
by  Messrs.  Gillow,  and  of  some  of  the  rooms  in  other 
houses  in  the  Street  of  Nations,  by  Messrs.  Jackson 
and  Graham,  Messrs.  Shoolbred,  Messrs.  Trollope,  and 
Messrs.  Collinson  and  Lock,  in  the  late  Paris  Exhibition, 
together  with  the  design  and  execution  of  the  various 
examples  of  furniture,  were  especially  good ;  the 
boudoir  of  the  Princess  of  Wales,  by  Messrs  Gillow, 
and  the  drawing-room  in  Messrs.  Collinson  and  Lock's 
house,  being  especially  noticeable  for  delicacy  of 
colouring  and  harmony  of  general  effect.  In  the 
latter,  the  walls  were  finished  in  soft,  delicate  tones  of 
yellow  and  yellowish  pink,  the  woodwork  being  tinted 
a  delicate  blue  colour  ;  the  mantel-piece,  of  good  and 
characteristic  design,  being  set  off  by  tilework  of  red 
lustre  ware  by  Mr.  De  Morgan  ;  the  windows  hung 
with  light  curtains  of  Crete  muslin,  printed  in  light 
shades  of  yellow  pink  ;  the  floor  covered  with  Indian 
matting,  and  Persian  rugs  of  exquisite  design  and 
colouring  scattered  over  it  here  and  there  ;  the  furni- 


212 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


tu re  of  satin  and  rose  woods,  with  painted  and  inlaid 
panels,  appropriate  and  good  in  design,  but  eclectic  in 
character.  All  gave  a  pleasant,  home-like  air  of  com- 
fort and  suitability,  combined  with  harmony  and 
elegance  of  general  effect. 

In  decorating  a  town  house,  you  must  bear  in 
mind  that  dark  papers  and  dark  hangings  absorb  an 
immense  amount  of  light,  and  that  you  can  do  with 
half  the  amount  of  candles  or  gas  if  you  keep  a 
reasonably  light  tone  in  your  general  decoration. 

A  dining-room  must  have  gas,  I  suppose,  but 
candles  or  lamps  should  be  used  in  drawing-rooms, 
as  softer  and  less  damaging  to  all  works  of  art.  A 
glass  candelabra  of  small  size,  so  as  not  to  obtrude 
itself,  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  a  few  good  sconces, 
such  as  that  shown  in  Plate  XIII.,  with  light  brass 
repoicssd  backs,  or  small  Venetian  mirrors  at  the 
back,  to  reflect  the  light,  fixed  here  and  there  to 
the  walls,  will  be  found  ample  for  general  lighting 
purposes. 

And  here  let  me  say  the  brass  gaseliers  now  made 
after  old  Jacobean  designs  are  better  than  all  the  pre- 
tentious mediaeval  forms  that  have  been  so  long  the 
fashion.  Messrs.  Powell  and  Sons  and  the  Murano 
Glass  Co.  make  some  pretty  opalesque  glass  sconces 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


213 


and  lamps,  inexpensive,  and  generally  good  in  design 
and  treatment. 

I  shall  not  presume  to  set  forth  any  given  rules  for 
the  furniture  of  the  drawing-room.  This  must  natur- 
ally, in  a  large  degree,  depend  upon,  as  indeed, 
practically,  does  every  other  room  in  the  house,  the 
good  taste  of  the  lady  of  the  house  ;  a  drawing-room 
may  be  purely  eclectic  in  its  arrangement,  that  is  to 
say,  works  of  almost  every  period  of  art  may  be  here 
collected,  provided  there  be  a  general  harmony  of 
arrangement. 

Simple  cabinets,  filled  in  with  panels  of  Chinese 
or  Japanese  lac  ware,  valuable  inlaid  or  mahogany 
cabinets  with  their  collections  of  valuable  works,  bric-a 
brae,  armour,  jewellery,  rare  china,  embroideries,  or 
whatever  else  may  be  the  fancy  of  the  owner,  may 
well  find  a  place  in  the  drawing-room  of  the  house,  so 
long  as  they  are  arranged  in  some  sort  of  careless 
harmony  of  grouping  and  colouring ;  the  pleasant  and 
judicious  arrangement  of  these  rooms,  the  choice  of 
form  and  the  assortment  of  colouring,  so  as  to  make 
up  the  supreme  elegance  of  the  whole  put  together, 
will  make  all  the  difference  in  a  cheerful  home-like 
room,  which  shall  not  only  be  handsome  and  beautiful 
with  numerous  objects  of  art  work  of  every  kind,  but 


214 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE  OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  215 

shall,  above  all,  look  as  if  it  is  arranged  also  for  com- 
fort and  use.  Small  hanging  cupboards  with  shelves 
for  books  or  china,  similar  to  the  one  shown  in  sketch, 
are  useful  and  inexpensive  pieces  of  furniture. 

We  do  not  want  drawing-rooms  to  be  filled  with 
stiff,  uncomfortable  furniture,  nor  do  we  want  museums 
in  which  we  fear  to  walk  or  move  about,  but  we  want 
pleasant,  cheerful  rooms,  in  which  the  collection  of 
furniture  and  objects  of  art  shall  all  tend  to  make  the 
room  comfortable  and  habitable,  not  a  mere  show-room, 
from  which  the  coverings  are  to  be  removed  only  on 
some  grand  occasion.  The  floor  may  be  painted  or 
covered  with  India  matting,  with  good-coloured  rugs 
scattered  here  and  there  about  it,  the  chairs  and 
couches  should  above  all  be  comfortable  and  easy,  and 
even  as  the  thoughts  and  taste  of  the  lady  occupant 
are  given  to  the  careful  arrangement  of  furniture,  to 
show  off  to  the  best  advantage  a  piece  of  tapestry,  a 
laquered  cabinet,  to  place  well  porcelain  and  bronzes 
Persian  embroidery,  or  Indian  brocade,  so  as  to  avoid 
anachronisms,  so  will  be  enhanced  the  cheerfulness, 
grace,  and  artistic  elegance  of  the  room  ;  for  it  must 
be  admitted  that  '  the  anachronisms  between  two  ill- 
assorted  pieces  of  furniture  may  be  as  offensive  to  the 
eye  as  between  the  scattered  parts  of  a  complete  set 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


of  furniture,  the  finest  pieces  of  armour  will  assume 
the  look  of  old  iron,  according  to  the  background 
which  sets  them  off.'  The  present  fashion  of  collecting 
works  of  Oriental  design  in  china  or  other  art  work,  so 
far  assists  even  the  uneducated,  as  their  especial  purity 
of  taste  and  brilliancy  of  colour  admit  of  their  bearing 
almost  every  contrast.  By  all  means  have  works  of 
all  kind  of  art  surrounding  you,  but  depend  upon  it 
your  enjoyment  of  them  will  be  materially  increased, 
if  they  are  carefully  arranged  and  harmoniously  set 
out. 

The  exquisitely  beautiful  satin-wood  furniture  of 
Adam's  style,  exhibited  in  the  boudoir  of  the  Princess 
of  Wales's  Pavilion  at  Paris  by  Messrs.  Gillow,  and 
shown  in  illustration  No.  XVI 1 1.,  was,  to  my  mind,  an 
example  of  exceedingly  delicate  and  graceful  adapta- 
tion of  eighteenth-century  design  to  modern  furniture  ; 
the  panels  of  the  various  pieces  formed  in  walnut- 
wood,  with  ebony  inlaid,  and  laid  over  with  box-wood, 
carved  down,  so  as  to  show  the  ebony  behind,  in  ex- 
quisite cameo-like  medallions  after  Flaxman,  the  deli- 
cate enrichments  and  ornamentation  of  gilt  lacquer-like 
character,  were  all  elegant  in  design,  and  marvellously 
beautiful  in  workmanship. 

The  walls  of  this   charming   little    room  were 


Plate  N°  18 


Octagon  Boudoir  ~Adams- style  •  rtefsrs  GUlow  ^ 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


217 


arranged  in  panels,  hung  with  blue  figured  satin, 
divided  by  pilasters  decorated  in  shades  of  blue  and 
£old  on  maize-coloured  silk,  the  Qreneral  tone  of  the 
ceiling  being  ivory  colour,  with  the  background  of  the 
enrichments  lightly  tinted  in  green.  The  satin-wood 
chairs  and  couch  were  covered  with  figured  blue  satin, 
and  the  floor  with  a  carpet  of  rich  Persian  colouring  on 
a  maroon  ground. 

The  illustrations  Nos.  VII.  and  VIII.  show  ex- 
amples of  various  good  pieces  of  decorative  furniture, 
made  by  Messrs.  Jackson  and  Graham,  which  set  forth 
some  of  the  views  I  have  expressed  as  to  simplicity  of 
form  and  design,  and  of  the  use  of  lacquer  and  painted 
decoration  in  panels.  Let  your  drawing-room,  there- 
fore, be  filled  with  beautiful  objects,  which  need  not 
necessarily  be  expensive,  comfortable  causes  and 
divan  seats,  low  tables  for  work  or  papers,  cases  for 
books,  and  cabinets  for  ornaments  and  china,  but  let 
there  be  no  eccentricities  or  conceits,  which  are  as  bad 
in  taste  in  furniture  and  decoration  as  they  are  in  a 
lady's  dress.  Let  everything  tend  to  make  the  room 
bright  and  cheerful,  home-like  and  artistic,  with 
general  grace  and  quietness  of  design  and  colouring 
throughout. 

In  most  town  houses  of  any  size  or  pretension,  the 


218 


bedrooms  are   in  a   measure  sacrificed,  as  regards 
height,  to  the  reception  rooms.    For  the  most  part  the 
best  rooms,  and  these  are  on  the  second  floor  of  the 
house,  are  rarely  more  than  10  ft.  high,  and  some- 
times considerably  less,  while  the  rooms  over  vary 
from  7  ft.  6  in.  to  9  ft.  in  total  height.    At  the  princi- 
pal floor  of  bedrooms,  or  second  floor,  the  main  or 
principal  staircase  generally  ends,  and  a  dingy  back 
staircase  commences,  running  up  in  the  centre  of  the 
house,  obtaining  only  such  partial  light  as  is  glimmered 
down  from  the  skylight  overhead.    In  the  bedrooms, 
above  everything,  it  is  necessary  to  have  a  cheerful, 
home-like  look.    Often  in  cases  of  illness  we  have 
to  live  in  these  rooms  for  days,  perhaps  weeks ;  we 
should  seek,  therefore,  at  all  events  to  make  them  as 
pleasant  and  comfortable  as  possible.    It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  suggest  that  it  is  most  undesirable  to  have 
heavy  curtains  or  hangings  anywhere,  as  they  only 
tend  to  make  the  room  stuffy,  to  collect  dust  and  all 
the  thousand  ills  that  flit  innocently  about  in  the  air  of 
a  London  bedroom,  and  which,  like  a  flight  of  starlings 
alarmed  by  some  sudden  noise,  flit  away  on  the  first 
touch,  and  help  to  cover  everything  with  fluff  and  dust, 
adding  materially  to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  room. 
Beyond  all  this,  let  those  who  at  any  time  have  been 


1 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


219 


compelled  through  illness  to  stay  long  in  their  bed- 
rooms, tell  of  the  misery  and  restlessness  caused  by 
the  perpetual  shaking  of  the  fringe  or  valance  of  the 
curtains  overhead,  which  with  the  least  movement 
nods  and  chatters,  like  a  collection  of  jackdaws  in  some 
ancient  ruin. 

'  The  old  four-post  bed  is  now  almost  a  thing  of  the 
past.  We  have  learnt  that  to  shut  ourselves  up  in  the 
limited  space  of  such  monstrosities,  by  close  hangings 
and  closed  tops  or  coverings,  means  not  only  excluding 
light,  which  may  not  be  desirable,  but  air,  which  is  of 
the  highest  importance  ;  for  remember,  to  secure 
healthy  and  refreshing  rest  and  sleep,  it  is  of  the 
highest  importance  that  there  shall  be  a  proper  and  suf- 
ficient supply  of  pure  air  during  the  hours  of  sleep,  so 
that  our  morning  waking  may  not  find  us  feverish  and 
nauseated  by  the  continual  inhaling  of  impure  air,  and 
this  must  naturally  ensue,  if  our  only  supply  is  limited 
to  the  space  inclosed  by  the  covering  and  hangings  of 
one  of  these  ancient  four-posters. 

A  bedroom  should  be  essentially  clear  of  every- 
thing that  can  collect  or  hold  dust  in  any  form  ;  should 
be  bright  and  cheerful,  pleasantly  furnished,  not  with 
the  everlasting  heavy  mahogany  wardrobes  and  dingy- 
looking  chests  of  drawers,  but  with  light  and  cheerful 


220 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


furniture  of  good  and  simple  design,  in  which  every- 
thing shall  be  carefully  arranged  and  studied  for  use, 
not  show.  The  good  taste  of  the  lady  inhabitants  of 
the  house  will  soon  add  to  the  general  home  feeling  of 
rest  and  comfort,  by  innumerable  knick-knacks. 

I  give  an  illustration,  Plate  XIX.,  of  a  simple  and 
well  designed  set  of  bedroom  furniture  by  Messrs. 
Holland,  in  black  walnut  and  mahogany.  The  vari- 
ous pieces  are  conveniently  arranged  for  the  purposes 
for  which  they  are  required,  without  any  excess  of 
ornament  or  moulding.  The  general  designs  are  well 
adapted  for  cheap  bedroom  furniture  in  light  stained 
or  lacquer-painted  wood.  The  wardrobe  might  be 
fitted  with  a  useful  top  cupboard,  made  to  go  right  up 
to  the  ceiling,  with  a  simple  finishing  moulding  at  the 
top,  by  which  the  objectionable  feature  of  a  large  flat 
top,  for  the  accumulation  of  dirt  and  dust,  would  be 
avoided, 

I  would  have  the  whole  floor  of  the  rooms  stained 
and  varnished,  or  painted,  and  strips  of  carpet,  matting, 
or  rugs  thrown  down  only  where  required  ;  these  can 
be  taken  up  and  shaken  every  day  without  trouble, 
the  floors  washed,  and  the  evil  of  fixed  carpets  thus 
avoided.  If,  however,  a  carpet  must  be  laid  down,  let 
it  on  no  account  go  under  the  bed  or  within  2  feet  of 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


221 


the  walls  ;  the  spaces  under  the  bed  or  wall  furniture 
would  rarely  be  thoroughly  swept,  and  under  heavy 
wardrobes  and  chests  of  drawers  there  would  be  a 
gradual  accumulation  of  dirt  and  dust,  until  such  times 
as  the  annual  general  turn-out  and  cleansing  takes 
place.  Canopies  over  beds,  and  the  old-fashioned 
system  of  hangings,  must  suggest  themselves  to  all  of 
us  as  being  unhealthy,  even  if  some  of  us  think  they 
may  be  comfortable.  Shut  closely  up  at  night  as  bed- 
rooms mostly  are,  we  want  as  much  free  breathing 
space  as  possible,  not  to  shut  ourselves  in  with  heavy 
canopies  and  closely  drawn  bed-curtains.  Some  of 
you,  who  may  perhaps  disagree  with  my  views  about 
canopies,  will  perhaps  take  the  trouble  to  get  up  and 
look  at  the  top  of  any  such  arrangement  in  your  own 
rooms.  I  fancy  you  will  be  somewhat  startled  by  what 
you  will  see,  and  will  be  hereafter  more  inclined  to 
do  without  such  dust-traps.  If  a  room  be  carefully 
decorated,  curtains  are  much  better  away,  on  the 
ground  of  health  as  well  as  of  decoration.  If  you 
insist  on  having  your  room  made  quite  dark  at  night, 
have  double  blinds  or  shutters  ;  a  thick  green  tammy 
or  tussock  silk  blind  will  effectually  darken  any  win- 
dow, and  materially  add  to  the  warmth  of  the  room. 
Depend  upon  it,  from  all  points  of  view — for  the 


222 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


sake  of  comfort,  health,  and  cleanliness — you  will  find  it 
infinitely  better  to  do  with  as  little  carpet  and  drapery  in 
town  bedrooms — indeed,  in  any  bedrooms — as  possible. 
As  regards  the  walls  of  bedrooms,  even  as  it  is  un- 
desirable to  cover  the  whole  of  the  floor  with  carpet, 
equally  undesirable  is  it  from  all  points  of  view — 
health,  light,  and  decoration — to  cover  the  whole  walls 
with  paper.  As  a  matter  of  health,  it  is  better  to  have 
as  little  material  as  possible  that  will  absorb  and  retain 
the  too  often  impure  air  of  a  bedroom  ;  as  a  matter  of 
light,  it  is  desirable  to  have  a  portion  of  the  wall,  at 
least,  of  some  light  general  tone,  even  if  the  lower 
portion  of  the  wall  be  papered  in  a  somewhat  dark 
shade.  I  have  seen  bedrooms,  which  looked  cheerful 
and  pleasant  in  their  decoration  and  general  appear- 
ance, where  the  walls  to  a  height  of  about  4  feet 
from  the  floor  had  a  dado  of  manilla  or  Indian  matting 
stretched  close  to  the  wall,  and  fixed  top  and  bottom 
with  a  small  round  moulding,  screwed  down,  so  as  to 
be  easily  removed  for  cleaning  behind  the  dado,  or 
replacing  it,  when  required,  with  new.  Above  this, 
the  wall  was  finished  with  a  pleasant  light  paper  of  no 
particular  pattern,  so  that  you  could  not  be  annoyed  at 
night  by  flights  of  birds  or  symmetrical  patterns  of 
conventional  primroses,  daisies,  or  fruit,  which  might 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


223 


in  any  way  suggest  a  countless  and  never-ending  pro- 
cession along  the  walls.  Any  pattern  or  design  which 
shows  prominently  any  set  pattern,  or  spots  which 
suggest  a  sum  of  multiplication,  or  which,  in  the  half- 
light  of  night  or  early  morning,  might  be  likely  to  fix 
themselves  upon  the  tired  brain,  suggesting  all  kinds  of 
weird  forms,  are  especially  to  be  avoided.  The  design 
should  be  of  such  a  description  that,  saving  as  regards 
colour,  it  should  offer  no  specially  marked  pattern.  I 
have  seen  various  designs  for  papers  of  high  artistic 
character,  but  in  which  flights  of  birds  or  rows  of  con- 
ventional flowers  stood  out  in  bold  relief,  suggesting 
ideas  of  counting,  or  dreaming  thoughts  or  restlessness, 
which,  to  an  over-tired  or  restless  brain,  soon  bring 
utter  wakefulness.  I  see  no  reason,  however,  why  the 
whole  wall  above  the  dado  should  not  be  tinted  or 
coloured  in  distemper  ;  and,  although  I  do  not  for  a 
moment  advocate  the  imitation  of  Pompeian  work  in 
English  houses,  we  might  with  advantage  adopt  some 
of  its  general  and  very  effective  tones  of  colour  and 
design  for  bedroom  wall  and  ceiling  decoration.  I 
would  suggest  a  dark  matting  dado  as  a  base,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  wall  distempered  of  some  grateful 
soft  tint,  with  graceful  pattern  border  and  frieze 
stencilled  on,  and  here  and  there  panels  formed  in  the 


224 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


decoration,  with  inclosing  lines  of  bright  and  well- 
selected  colours,  wherein  might  be  enframed  looking- 
glasses  with  shelves  under  for  use,  and  here  and  there 
water-colours  or  photographs,  all  forming  part  of  the 
decoration  of  the  room,  but  not  standing  out  of  it  in 
any  too  prominent  manner.    All  this  kind  of  work  can 
be  treated  simply,  and  at  little  cost,  and  the  distemper 
work  can  be  rubbed  over  with  bread  crumbs,  or  brushed 
down,  and  thus  easily  cleaned.    Any  such  scheme  of 
distemper  colouring,  not  necessarily  of  Pompeian  cha- 
racter, but  based  on  some  simple  and  harmonious  style 
of  decoration,  of  which  there  are  many  good  examples, 
surely  is  better  than  all  the  wall  papers  in  the  world. 
'Imagine,'  as  a  writer  on   Pompeii  says,  '  what  the 
ruins  of  Pompeii  would  have  been,  had  the  houses 
been  lined  with  our  fashionable  wall  papers.    We  may 
form  some  idea  of  the  effect  they  would  have  pro- 
duced by  contemplating  a  modern  dwelling,  which  has 
been  deserted  for  a  few  months,  with  its  shabby  walls 
hung  with  tattered  strips  of  tawdry  hangings.'  One 
of  the  prettiest  rooms  I  remember  to  have  seen  was 
finished  in  soft  tones  of  distemper,  in  which  dark  grey, 
red,  and  yellow  were  the  chief  colours  in  the  deco- 
ration, and  where  a  broad  decorative  frieze  under  the 
ceiling  added  immensely  to  the  general  effect. 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


225 


The  general  woodwork  of  the  doors,  windows,  and 
skirtings  should  be  painted  in  some  plain  colour  to 
harmonise  or  contrast  with  the  wall  decoration,  and 
the  whole  varnished  ;  woodwork  finished  in  this  way 
can  be  easily  washed  or  cleaned,  and  the  extra  expense 
of  varnishing  will  be  saved  in  a  few  years.  The  bed 
should  be  of  brass  or  iron,  the  furniture  of  light  wood, 
varnished  or  polished  ;  and,  now  that  good  painted 
tiles  can  be  obtained  at  small  expense,  they  may  be 
used  in  washing  stands  with  good  effect,  or  the  wall 
above  may  be  lined  entirely  with  them  to  a  height  of 
2  or  3  feet. 

There  are  now  so  many  really  good  designs  of  wall 
hangings  of  subdued  and  harmonious  colouring,  that 
there  should  be  no  difficulty  in  selecting  such  an  one. 
It  is  well  to  remember  that  the  greatest  artistic  skill  of 
colouring  alone  can  so  graduate  all  the  various  colours 
as  to  confuse  the  eye  without  attracting  it  to  any  given 
portion  of  the  design,  and  that,  therefore,  it  is  far  safer 
to  trust  to  some  really  good  distemper  colour  ;  and 
this  should,  and  may  well  be,  of  such  an  absolutely 
undefined  shade  that  you  hardly  know  what  to  call  it. 
A  little  thought,  a  little  study,  and  a  little  time  will  be 
well  spent  in  the  careful  furnishing  and  decoration  of 

Q 


226 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


the  sleeping-rooms  of  our  houses,  so  that  they  may  be 
healthy,  cheerful,  and  comfortable. 

I  need  scarcely  say  that  the  laws  of  health  require 
that  there  shall  be  ample  ventilation  in  all  the  sleeping 
rooms  of  the  house,  or  they  will  get  stuffy  and  ab- 
solutely unhealthy  at  night,  when  shut  up,  and  there 
is  no  opening  and  shutting  of  doors  and  windows  for 
ingress  of  fresh  air,  and  no  fires  for  egress  of  foul  air. 
Fresh  air  must  be  brought  in  either  by  the  ordinary 
gratings  and  tubes  through  the  outer  wall,  or  from  the 
staircase  well,  in  which  there  is  generally  a  fair  supply 
of  fresh  air, — although  not  always  of  the  purest  kind, — 
by  means  of  ventilators  over  the  doors.  All  this  kind 
of  practical  decoration  is  as  necessary  for  bodily  health 
as  art  decoration  is  for  mental  enjoyment  and  plea- 
sure ;  and  if  the  one  be  neglected,  the  other  may 
almost  as  well  be  left  undone. 

In  the  dreariness  of  town  houses,  nothing  has 
struck  me  as  so  utterly  cruel  as  the  additional  dreari- 
ness which  generally  pervades  the  rooms  especially 
devoted  to  children — the  nurseries  of  the  house,  the 
rooms  in  which  our  little  ones  spend  so  large  a  portion 
of  their  early  lives — and  yet  I  know  of  no  rooms 
which  should  be  made  more  cheerful  and  more  beauti- 
ful in  their  general  appearance  than  these.    I  do  not 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


227 


mean  that  you  are  to  put  expensive  cabinets,  rare 
china,  or  even  pictures  on  the  walls.  These  would  not 
be  understood,  and  would  naturally  help  to  the  dis- 
comfort of  the  little  inhabitants,  who  would  be  told 
that  they  must  not  play  or  romp,  for  fear  of  damaging 
them  in  some  way  or  other. 

While  the  furniture  should  be  strong  and  useful,  it 
need  not  be  prison-like  ;  the  walls  need  not  be  covered 
with  some  monotonous  imitation  tile  paper,  because  it 
wears  better  than  another. 

In  the  windows  of  the  day  nursery  there  should 
be  boxes  of  flowers,  in  which  buttercups  and  daisies, 
primroses  and  daffodils,  might  be  cultivated,  to  teach 
the  little  ones  of  the  country,  and  of  the  nursery 
rhymes  and  fairy  tales  they  love  so  well.  A  few 
shillings  will  buy  bulbs  or  seeds  enough  to  make  a 
constant  variety  from  springtide  to  winter,  and  an 
endless  source  of  pleasure  for  little  hands  to  tend 
and  weave  into  fairy  chains  and  tresses ;  and  little  eyes 
will  brighten  in  watching  for  the  outburst  of  some  new 
flower.  Let  the  walls  be  papered  with  some  pleasant 
paper,  in  which  the  colours  shall  be  bright  and  cheer- 
ful, distemper  the  upper  portion  of  the  room  for 
healths  sake,  and  varnish  the  paper  if  you  please.  But 
nowadays,  when  really  good  illustrations  are  generally, 

Q  2 


228 


DECORA  TION  AND  FURNITURE 


and  not  as  an  exception,  to  be  found  in  so  many  of  our 
monthly  and  weekly  publications,  why  not,  instead  of 
destroying  them,  cut  them  out,  or,  better  still,  let  the 
little  ones  do  so,  and  paper  them  over  the  whole 
of  the  lower  portion  of  the  walls  ?  A  band  of  colour 
might  be  made  by  buying  some  of  the  Christmas  books, 
—which  Mr.  H.  S.  Marks,  R.  A.,  Miss  Kate  Greenaway, 
and  Mr.  Walter  Crane  have  so  charmingly  and  artisti- 
cally illustrated, — and  by  pasting  the  scenes  in  regular 
order  and  procession,  as  a  kind  of  frieze  under  the 
upper  band  of  distemper,  varnished  over  to  protect 
from  dirt.  The  variously  depicted  scenes  from  the 
stories  of  Jack  and  the  Bean  Stalk,  Cinderella  and  her 
sisters,  of  the  numerous  beautiful  princesses  and  en- 
chanted princes,  and  a  host  of  other  nursery  rhymes  and 
tales,  may  thus  be  used,  while  here  and  there,  as  var- 
nished panels,  might  be  pasted  up  the  large  Christmas 
coloured  illustrations,  which  few  Christmas  numbers 
are  now  without.  Why  not  cover  the  walls  of  the 
nurseries  with  illustrations,  telling  of  the  glories  and, 
if  you  please,  the  horrors  of  war — teaching  peace  and 
goodwill  by  illustrating  the  antitype — of  the  various 
birds,  beasts,  and  reptiles  that  went  into  the  ark,  of 
flowers,  and  all  other  things  which  are  bright  and 
beautiful  ?    All  these  would  make  the  children's  room 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


229 


a  bright  and  cheery  spot,  and  in  pleasant  guise  teach 
them  many  things,  better  than  all  the  lesson  books  in 
the  world. 

There  are  some  charming  papers  designed  by  Mr. 
Walter  Crane,  illustrating  some  of  the  best-known 
nursery  tales  and  rhymes,  which  are  admirably  adapted 
for  the  walls  of  day  nurseries,  and  are  cheap  enough 
to  be  frequently  changed.  Do  not  have  curtains  of 
any  sort  in  your  nurseries  ;  they  only  hold  disease 
and  dust.  The  more  cheerful  and  gay  your  nurseries  are, 
believe  me,  the  brighter  and  happier  will  your  children 
be.  In  the  night  nursery  the  walls  should  be  all  dis- 
tempered, so  as  to  be  cleaned  or  re-done  at  small  cost 
at  frequent  intervals  ;  for  I  am  quite  certain  that  here, 
above  all  things,  it  is  essential  to  wash  out,  as  often  as 
possible,  the  peculiar  bedroom  atmosphere  which  must 
cling,  in  a  measure,  to  the  generally  low  rooms  of  the 
upper  floor  of  a  town  house  ;  a  simple  dark  shade  of 
colour  will  offer  no  spots  or  nightmare  effects  to  drive 
away  sleep  or  disturb  the  little  ones  in  their  times  of 
feverish  unrest  or  illness.  But  in  the  rooms  they  live 
in,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  '  writing  on  the  wall ' 
should  not  be  the  earliest  teaching  of  all  that  is  beau- 
tiful  in  nature,  art,  or  science ;  and  by  the  illustra- 
tions of  fairy  lore,  incline  the  thoughts  of  our  little 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


ones  to  all  that  is  graceful  and  beautiful  in  imagina- 
tive faculties.  The  knowledge  thus  gained,  amid  the 
smoke  and  dinginess  of  most  of  our  large  inland  cities 
and  towns,  will  tend  to  make  the  annual  change  to  the 
country  or  seaside  ten  times  more  enjoyable,  ten  times 
more  instructive. 

The  floors  of  the  rooms  should  be  stained  and 
varnished  or  painted  all  over,  and  a  small  centre 
carpet  pinned  down  in  the  day  nursery,  so  as  to  be 
easily  taken  up  and  cleaned  ;  small  strips  of  carpet  or 
India  matting  laid  down  beside  the  beds  will  be  amply 
sufficient  in  the  night  nursery.  Let  the  beds  be  of  iron, 
and  the  furniture  strong  and  useful  :  painted  or  stained 
deal  will  be  found  amply  sufficient,  and  is  at  the  same 
time  light  and  cheerful.  London  nurseries  are,  unfor- 
tunately, very  low,  and  unless  the  back  and  front 
rooms  communicate  by  large  folding  doors,  which  can 
be  thrown  open  with  the  windows — so  as  to  allow  of  a 
thorough  current  of  air  to  sweeten  the  rooms,  when 
the  children  are  out  of  them — there  is  much  difficulty 
in  securing  good  and  proper  ventilation.  Too  much 
care  cannot  be  taken  to  obtain  this,  and  large  open 
gratings  fixed  over  the  doors  and  communicating  with 
the  staircase  landing,  with  Boyle's  ventilators  in  the 
chimneys,  will  be  found  good  and  effective  means  of 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  231 

obtaining  a  large  amount  of  artificial  ventilation.  No 
pains  should  be  spared  to  render  the  nurseries  of  the 
house  as  cheerful  and  pretty  as  possible,  or  to  secure 
ample  light  and  thorough  ventilation. 

To  surround  our  little  ones  with  decoration  and 
every-day  objects,  in  which  there  shall  be  grace  and 
beauty  of  design  and  colour,  instead  of  the  common- 
place and  vulgar  tawdriness  which  in  so  many  houses 
is  thought  good  enough  for  the  nurseries,  will  imbue 
them  with  a  love  and  appreciative  feeling  for  things 
of  beauty  and  harmony  of  form  and  colour ;  but  if  we 
wish  to  have  healthy  children,  we  must  have  healthy 
homes,  and,  in  studying  how  best  to  decorate  the  walls, 
do  not  let  us  forget  that  it  is  first  of  all  imperative  that 
there  shall  be  no  overcrowding  of  the  generally  low 
rooms,  and  that  ample  light  and  pure  air  are  essential 
to  their  bodily  and  mental  health  and  well-being. 

Those  who  value  good  servants  will  not  forget  that 
their  rooms  be  made  bright  and  cheerful,  and  that,  if 
possible,  in  one  room  in  the  basement  there  shall  be 
some  pleasant  corner  where  rest  and  change  may  be 
got  after  the  daily  work  is  done.  The  servants'  hall 
or  sitting-room  should  not  be  the  dingy  place  it  gener- 
ally is  ;  let  it  be  papered  with  some  cheerful  pattern 
paper  of  pleasant  colour ;  let  the  floor  be  painted  and 


232 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


varnished,  with  a  small  centre  carpet  or  matting,  and 
the  walls  hung  with  some  good  photographs  or  prints, 
which  are  nowadays  to  be  obtained  at  small  cost ;  put 
boxes  of  flowers  in  the  windows,  and  let  the  furniture 
be  strong  and  serviceable,  but  not  prison-like. 

In  the  generally  dark  underground  passages  of 
town  houses  it  is  difficult  to  do  anything  with  the 
walls  to  make  them  clean  and  light,  unless  the  whole 
surface  is  covered  with  white  Dutch  tiles  ;  but  this 
of  course  is  expensive,  and  cannot  always  be  done, 
especially  when  the  house  is  held  for  the  usual  short 
term  on  lease  or  agreement.  The  upper  portion  of 
the  walls  may  be  distempered,  and  the  lower  portion 
painted  to  a  height  of,  say,  5  ft.  from  the  floor,  so  as  to 
be  easily  cleaned.  The  servants'  bedrooms  should  all 
be  distempered,  and  the  floors  painted  all  over.  The 
rooms  throughout  should  be  thoroughly  ventilated  by 
some  such  system  as  that  recommended  for  the  nur- 
series, and  every  means  taken  to  render  them  light, 
airy,  and  cheerful. 

In  the  bedrooms  of  a  London  house,  which,  as  a 
rule,  are  sacrificed  in  height  to  the  reception-rooms 
below,  it  is  desirable  to  utilise  every  corner  and  recess, 
without  filling  the  rooms,  with  heavy  and  inconvenient 
furniture.    And  although  the  wardrobes  of  the  present 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


233 


day  may  combine  in  themselves  many  conveniences, 
they  are  lumbering  and  unwieldy,  and  occupy  far 
too  much  space  in  the  limited  area  of  the  rooms, 
besides  which  they  are  necessarily  expensive  articles 
of  furniture.  I  would  suggest  that  the  recesses 
formed  by  the  chimney  breasts  should,  in  part  at 
least,  be  filled  in  with  good  hanging  closets,  which  can 
be  screwed  to  the  walls  and  removed  at  will.  These 
"  may  be  made  to  go  up  quite  to  the  ceiling,  by  which 
arrangement  no  spaces,  such  as  those  formed  by  tops 
of  wardrobes,  would  be  left  to  harbour  and  accumulate 
dust  and  dirt.  The  top  portion  may  be  arranged  with 
shelves,  whereon  can  be  stowed  away  articles  of  dress 
not  immediately  required.  The  middle  space  should 
be  fitted  with  hooks  and  rails,  on  which  to  hang  dresses 
and  other  articles  of  a  lady's  belongings  ;  the  lower 
portion  being  fitted  with  sliding  shelves  and  drawers, 
for  caps  and  bonnets,  and  the  whole  inclosed  in  folding 
doors  in  two  heights,  the  lower  panels  of  which  may 
be  fitted  with  plate-glass,  which  is  a  necessary  element 
in  the  room.  All  this  work  can  very  well  be  done  in 
good  sound  deal,  without  any  frittering  away  of  detail 
or  ornamentation — which  are  utterly  unnecessary  and 
out  of  taste — and  the  whole  painted  in  some  shade  of 
colour  to  harmonise  with  the  decoration  of  the  room. 


234  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 

Naturally,  chests  of  drawers  are  required,  but  these 
should  stand  up  well  above  the  floor,  on  strong  or 
plainly  turned  legs,  so  as  to  be  easily  removeable,  and 
to  allow  of  the  space  under  being  thoroughly  cleaned 
and  dusted.  The  dressing-table  should  have  nests  of 
convenient  drawers  on  either  side  of  the  lower  portion, 
while  inclosing  cupboards  may  be  arranged  on  either 
side  of  the  swinging  glass  for  gloves  or  jewellery. 
But,  above  all,  the  mere  furniture  of  the  room,  whether 
it  be  of  painted  deal  or  inlaid  satin-wood,  should  be 
perfectly  simple  in  design,  made  for  use  and  not  for 
show,  and  free  from  the  expensive  trimmings  of 
unnecessary  carving  and  rows  of  tiny  balusters,  which 
are  not  only  bad  in  taste,  but  must  be  terrible  to  those 
who,  in  times  of  sickness  and  suffering,  are  naturally 
led  by  distorted  imagination  to  think  them  wearisome 
and  countless.  If  the  panels  are  to  be  decorated  at 
all,  let  them  be  done  with  some  pleasant  drawings 
in  monotone  or  deeper  enrichment,  which  shall  not 
suggest  spottiness  and  crudeness  to  those  who  have  to 
lie  long  hours  and  look  upon  them. 

In  the  windows  may  be  arranged  plain  deal  boxes, 
fitted  as  ottomans,  in  which  to  stow  away  articles  of 
dress,  with  soft  and  luxuriously  stuffed  seats  and  backs, 
that  would  in  themselves  suggest  rest  and  quiet.  I 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


235 


cannot  in  any  way  agree  with  the  fashion  which  is 
endeavouring  to  revive  the  heavy  wood  bedsteads  of 
our  ancestors,  whether  with  or  without  the  heavy  posts 
and  top  superstructure.  To  my  mind,  nothing  can  be 
better  or  more  cleanly  than  the  painted  iron  or  brass 
bedsteads,  with  perhaps  some  light  hangings,  cheerful, 
yet  subdued  in  colour.  At  any  good  upholsterer's,  it  is 
possible  to  obtain  a  variety  of  patterns  of  printed 
cottons  and  cotton  tapestries,  good  in  design  and 
colour,  and  exceedingly  moderate  in  price.  If  these 
be  too  sombre  to  your  taste,  I  would  suggest  that, 
instead  of  the  more  expensive  hangings,  you  should 
endeavour  to  buy  some  of  the  printed  Indian  cottons, 
called  '  sambars,'  which  will  give  you  as  much  colour- 
ing as  you  please,  at  a  moderate  cost,  or  some  of  the 
Indian  silks  with  cotton  backs,  which  can,  nowadays, 
be  bought  for  something  less  than  2s.  a  yard. 

As  I  have  said  before,  avoid  carpeting  the  whole 
of  your  room,  and  paint  the  floor  all  over,  of  some 
dark  shade  of  colour,  and  put  down  mats  or  rugs  only 
where  required.  I  am  quite  certain  that  this  arrange- 
ment will  decrease  the  stuffiness,  and  add  much  to  the 
healthiness  of  an  ordinary  town  bedroom,  and  that 
every  common-sense  person  will  agree  that  everything 
that   harbours   dirt  or  dust,  or   tends   to  prevent 


236  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


the  thorough  circulation  of  air  during  the  long 
hours  of  night,  when  the  room  is  necessarily  shut  up, 
will  be  in  every  sense  undesirable.  The  blinds  of 
a  bedroom  should  be  of  some  soft  toned  colour,  and 
not  the  vivid  staring  white  and  yellow  to  which  we 
are  so  accustomed.  I  need  not  dwell  further  on  this 
portion  of  my  subject,  as  the  cheerfulness  and  comfort 
of  a  bedroom  is  quite  as  much  dependent  upon  the 
graceful  taste  of  arrangement  of  the  ladies  of  the 
house,  as  upon  the  upholstery  and  fittings  with  which 
it  is  furnished. 

There  are  innumerable  small  items  of  furniture 
which  all  tend  to  make  up  the  general  requirements  of 
a  bedroom,  which  with  care  and  thought  can  be  pro- 
vided at  comparatively  small  cost,  in  the  way  of 
hanging-glasses,  jewel  boxes,  boot  racks,  bonnet  cases, 
cases  for  medicine  bottles,  without  lumbering  up  the 
generally  small  floor  surface  of  the  room,  provided  that 
they  be  thought  of  and  arranged  for,  before  any  set  or 
so-called  '  suite '  of  bedroom  furniture  is  bought  ;  for 
a  few  pounds  all  these  necessary  arrangements  can  be 
provided  in  suitable  and  useful  form,  in  place  of  the 
usually  extravagant,  and  ofttimes  comparatively  useless, 
articles  of  furniture  which  are  generally  considered 
necessary  in  the  bedrooms  of  the  house  :  chests  of 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


237 


drawers  should  be  so  arranged  that  the  lower  portion 
may  be  adapted  for  clothes,  while  small  flanking  cup- 
boards may  be  provided  on  each  side  for  the  hundred 
and  one  small  articles  which  are  necessary  in  an 
ordinary  family  household,  and  which  all  help  to  make 
up  the  harmonious  whole  of  a  well-furnished  house.  In 
a  small  room  the  chest  of  drawers  may  be  so  fitted  up 
that  it  shall  do  duty  for  a  dressing-table  with  looking- 
glass  complete,  or  the  recesses  formed  by  the  chim- 
ney breast  may  be  fitted  with  shelves  and  drawers, 
bonnet  boxes  and  boot  racks,  all  combined,  with  hang- 
ing spaces  for  clothes,  at  a  much  smaller  expense  than 
that  of  the  elaborate  and  heavy  articles  which  are 
sold  as  1  wardrobes,'  and  which  all  take  up  too  much 
of  the  wall  and  floor  space,  in  the  usually  cramped 
area,  of  an  ordinary  bedroom.  The  mantel-pieces 
may  be  fitted  up  with  cupboards,  shelves,  and  glasses, 
so  as  to  add  materially  to  the  artistic  character,  as  well 
as  the  general  comfort  of  the  room ;  and  at  a  small 
expense  a  plain  writing  shelf  or  table  may  be  attached 
to  any  of  these  pieces  of  furniture,  and  made  to  fold 
up  or  slide  in,  when  not  absolutely  required  for  use. 
Often  a  bedroom  is  made  to  do  duty  as  a  private 
sitting-room  as  well,  and  too  much  care  cannot  there- 
fore be  taken  to  design  the  general  furniture  so  that  it 


238  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE  OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


may  combine  the  necessary  requirements  for  general 
use,  as  well  as  for  the  storage  of  clothes  and  linen, 
and  so  that  the  greatest  amount  of  accommodation 
may  be  obtained  in  the  smallest  amount  of  space. 
Hanging  book-shelves  with  cupboards  on  each  side 
for  medicine  bottles  are  invaluable  in  a  bedroom.  I 
cannot  too  strongly  advocate  the  desirability  of  all  fur- 
niture being  designed,  in  the  general  rooms  of  a  town 
house,  so  that  it  may  afford  accommodation  for  the 
numerous  requirements  to  which  it  has  to  be  put,  and 
cannot  too  strongly  protest  against  the  generally 
inconsistent  and  in  great  part  useless  articles,  which 
are  provided  nowadays  by  ordinary  upholsterers  in 
the  so-called  1  suite  '  of  bedroom  furniture. 

In  my  next  and  last  lecture  I  shall  endeavour  to 
treat  generally  of  the  every-day  articles  of  domestic 
use. 

In  decoration  and  furniture,  it  is  above  all  desirable 
to  avoid  all  eccentricity  and  seeming  quaintness  in 
design,  with  no  particular  use  or  object,  to  take  care 
that  everything  in  furniture  shall  be  strong,  serviceable, 
and  fitting  for  its  particular  use,  and  to  remember  that 
elaboration  and  expense  are  really  as  unnecessary  ele- 
ments in  the  furnishing  of  a  house  as  in  dress  and 
decoration. 


239 


LECTURE  VI. 

GENERAL  ARTICLES  OF  DOMESTIC  USE. 

In  this,  my  last  lecture,  I  propose  to  speak  generally 
of  the  many  articles  of  domestic  use  which  are 
essential  in  the  furnishing  of  a  house,  and  which  should, 
as  far  as  possible,  be  as  much  examples  of  good  taste 
in  design,  and  of  beauty  of  form  and  colouring,  as  the 
more  important  works  of  decoration  and  furniture  ; 
nor  can  I  see  any  reason  why  every  little  piece  of 
pottery,  porcelain,  glass,  plate,  bronze,  iron,  or  other 
work,  however  humble  in  itself,  should  not  be  essen- 
tially artistic  and  pleasant  in  form,  instead  of  being,  as 
it  generally  is,  essentially  ugly  and  commonplace.  I 
see  no  real  reason  why  everything  that  is  made  should 
not  be  beautiful  in  itself,  or  why  the  general  articles  of 
domestic  use  in  our  day  and  generation  should  not  be 
quite  as  beautiful,  and  quite  as  good  in  artistic  treat- 
ment, as  any  of  those  in  the  best  periods  of  ancient  art. 
I  am  quite  aware  that  at  present  it  would  be  almost 


240 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


impossible  to  realise  any  such  hope,  as  the  public 
taste,  in  most  matters  pertaining  to  art,  is  in  a  transi- 
tion state,  and  is  only  gradually  being  improved  and 
educated  by  the  examples  of  good  art,  which  are  to  be 
found  in  the  innumerable  collections,  public  and  pri- 
vate, which  now  exist ;  and  thus  many  of  us  are  willing 
to  accept,  almost  without  a  protest,  or  indeed  to  prefer, 
grotesque  forms  or  shapes  in  which  mere  novelty  and 
eccentricity  of  form  or  colouring  are  their  only  recom- 
mendation. 

It  cannot  therefore  be  wondered  at,  that  manu- 
facturers of  ail  kinds  are  willing  to  pander  to  this  false 
and  vulgar  taste  as  a  mere  matter  of  trade  profit 
and  advantage ;  we  can  only  hope  that  as  the  public 
become  more  educated  in  art  matters,  and  by  con- 
stantly being  brought  into  association  with  examples 
of  ancient  art,  not  only  in  the  elaborate  types  of  deco- 
rative art  and  furniture,  but  in  the  commonest  objects 
of  daily  life  and  use,  they  will  gradually  learn  to  dis- 
tinguish things  beautiful  and  true,  from  those  essentially 
ugly,  commonplace,  and  false. 

Until  there  is  a  demand  for  better  taste  in  ordinary 
things,  we  can  hardly  expect  that  the  manufacturers 
themselves  will  go  out  of  their  way  to  provide  it,  but 
will  content  themselves  with  pandering  to  the  perverse 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


241 


fashion  of  the  day,  and  to  the  insane  and  vulgar 
striving  after  mere  novelty  and  eccentricity  of  design 
and  form.  So  long  as  people  of  wealth  and  supposed 
good  taste  are  content  to  people  their  rooms  with 
porcelain  monkeys,  pug  dogs,  cats,  and  birds,  and 
other  monstrosities  of  similar  kind,  we  can  hardly 
expect  manufacturers  to  attempt  to  guide  them  into 
more  sober  and  less  expensive  tastes.  The  age  of 
luxury  can  hardly  be  one  of  refinement,,  nor  can  we 
expect  to  find  our  mere  manufacturing  guides  and 
teachers  setting  before  their  customers  things  beauti- 
ful, simple,  and  artistic,,  when  far  greater  profit  and 
gain  may  be  obtained,  by  pandering  to  the  craze  after 
novelties  and  the  present  fashion  of  luxury 'and  ex- 
penditure in  things,  certainly  gorgeous  and  elaborate, 
but  withal  eminently  ugly  and  inartistic. 

I  saw  lately  in  the  shop  window  of  one  of  the 
principal  silversmiths  in  a  northern  town  a  thermo- 
meter made  after  the  design  of  the  Nelson  monument, 
and  a  trinket  box  with  the  outline  of  the  Burns 
memorial  on  a  small  scale,  with  toast-racks  in  imitation 
of  spreading  vine-branches,  brooches  of  grouse  feet 
mounted  in  gold,  and  various  other  examples  of  the 
utterly  depraved  taste  of  modern  design. 

There  is  no  real  reason  why  simplicity  and  grace 

R 


242 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


of  form  should  be  more  difficult  to  obtain  in  pottery, 
china,  glass,  silver,  and  other  objects  of  daily  domestic 
use,  than  the  extraordinary  productions  which  are 
offered  for  sale  in  almost  every  china,  glass,  or  other 
shop,  except  that  these  are  more  profitable  to  the 
maker,  and  require  less  thought  and  study  at  the 
hands  of  mere  manufacturing  designers.  I  was  told 
a  short  time  ago,  by  an  eminent  manufacturer,  that 
he  was  obliged  to  produce  for  the  million,  and  that 
he  could  not  live  if  he  did  not,  as  other  makers 
provide  the  articles  of  form,  shape,  and  colour  which  I 
condemned,  and  that  mere  good  designs  did  not  pay. 
I  could  only  answer  that  there  are  some  few  artist 
tradesmen  who  do  make  it  pay  to  sell  only  good  things, 
and  that  in  the  time  when  Messrs.  Wedgwood  em- 
ployed Flaxman,  all  their  designs  in  pottery  and  china 
were  good  in  form  and  ornament,  from  the  most 
elaborate  vase  to  the  humblest  plate  or  cup.  What 
beauty  can  there  be  in  bulbous  vases,  supported  by 
primroses  and  cowslips,  the  roots  of  which  are  matted 
together  to  form  the  feet  ?  or  in  the  hosts  of  objects 
in  pottery,  glass,  or  porcelain,  of  similar  character,  in 
which  the  design  is  contorted  into  all  kinds  of  extra- 
vagant forms  and  shapes  ? 

It  is  satisfactory  to  notice  that  many  of  the  best 


243 


potters  and  glass -makers  are  endeavouring  to  teach 
the  public  to  appreciate  quieter  and  more  simple  taste, 
by  introducing  into  their  work  imitations  of  good 
ancient  forms,  or  in  obtaining  really  good  designs  from 
artists,  who  are  artists  and  not  mere  trade  designers, 
and  thus  producing  works  in  which  graceful  simplicity 
of  treatment,  beauty  of  outline,  and  artistic  skill  in 
ornament  and    decoration  are  especially  noticeable. 
In  the  works  of  Wedgwood,  aided  as  he  was  by  an 
artist  of  the  highest  ability,  Flaxman,  we  find  examples 
in  charming  ware,  delicate  in  tone  and  colouring,  and 
of  the  most  refined  classic  treatment,  with  infinite 
beauty  of  design,  form,  and  workmanship  ;  and  I  am 
glad  to  find  that  this  well  known  firm  are  falling  back 
on  their  old  models,  reproducing  Flaxman  designs, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  offering  to  the  public  not  only 
works  of  great  beauty  and  elaboration,  but  ordinary 
breakfast,  dinner,  tea,  and  toilet  services,  in  which  the 
old  forms  and  shapes  are  preserved,  all  of  which  are 
infinitely  more  beautiful  than  the  more  modern  pro- 
ductions.   The  two  sketches  given  are  examples  of 
modern  Wedgwood  ware  now  produced  by  the' firm, 
and  are  all  reproductions  of  old  designs  and  shapes, 
the  small  '  diced '  pattern  vase  in  black  Jasper  ware 

R  2 


44 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE  OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  245 


being  from  a  design  by  Flaxman,  the  other  vases  and 
plaque  being  made  from  the  old  moulds,  and  decorated 
with  good  figure  painting  by  T.  Allen.  I  give  an 
illustration,  Plate  XXII.,  of  several  of  the  pieces 
of  pottery  and  china  now  made  by  this  firm,  for  domes- 
tic use,  all  good  in  form,  design,  and  colouring,  and 
withal  moderate  in  cost,  and  can  only  express  a  hope 
that  they  will  be  content  to  continue  to  produce  only 
such  things  as  are  good  in  form  and  design,  and  thus 
to  maintain  the  high  position  and  rank  among  potters 
to  which  they  long  since  attained.  One  of  the  toilet 
services,  the  '  peony  pattern,'  shown  in  the  illustration, 
is  an  absolute  reproduction  of  the  old  ware,  in  form, 
colour,  and  design.  The  general  shapes  of  all  the 
examples  shown  in  the  illustration  are  purely  true 
potter's  shapes,  and  not  those  which  suggest  that  they 
should  be  executed  in  cast-iron,  repoussd  brass,  or 
chased  silver  or  gold,  in  fact,  anything  but  clay  ;  they 
exemplify,  moreover,  what  I  have  been  throughout 
advocating,  that  good  things  may  be  cheap  things, 
especially  noticeable  in  the  specimens  of  breakfast  and 
dinner  services,  and  bedroom  ewers  and  basins,  which 
are  generally  good  in  shape,  decoration,  design,  and 
colouring,  and  all  to  be  obtained  at  prices  quite  as 
reasonable  as  those  paid  for  similar  articles,  but  of 


246 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


commonplace  and  vulgar  design,  which  are  produced 
ad  nauseam  by  any  third  or  fourth-rate  potter. 

The  copy  of  the  Portland  vase,  shown  in  Plate 
XXL,  and  the  plaques  of  pale  blue  and  white,  and 
black  and  white  jasper  ware,  from  Flaxman's  moulds, 
show  the  general  excellence  of  handicraft  in  the  work 
of  this  firm.  The  '  Pegasus  '  vase  in  black  and  white 
jasper  ware,  shown  in  the  same  Plate,  is  also  a  copy  of 
an  old  Flaxman  design,  of  great  beauty  of  form  and 
modelling,  only  two  of  the  original  vases  being  extant. 

Messrs.  Minton,  Messrs.  Minton,  Campbell,  and 
Co.,  Messrs.  Doulton  and  Co.,  the  Royal  Worcester 
Porcelain  Manufactory,  Messrs.  Webb,  Messrs.  Powell 
and  Sons,  and  other  English  manufacturers,  have, 
respectively,  in  their  specimens  of  pottery,  porcelain 
and  glass,  spared  no  pains  to  improve  the  design  and 
manufacture  of  their  various  wares,  all  of  which  show 
an  immense  progress  in  skill  of  manipulation  and  good 
artistic  treatment. 

From  the  earliest  times,  the  work  of  the  potter  has, 
in  a  great  degree,  marked  the  progress  of  civilisation 
and  art  knowledge  in  all  nations.  The  very  plastic 
nature  of  the  material,  which,  under  the  potters 
skilful  hand,  was  moulded  into  various  shapes  and 
forms,  offered,  perhaps,  an  incentive  to  artistic  imagi- 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


247 


nation,  not  only  in  the  lines  and  shape  of  the  mere 
material  clay,  but  in  the  decoration  with  which  it  was 
ultimately  adorned. 

The  history  of  the  art  is  of  the  highest  interest,  as 
offering  not  only  an  insight  into  the  various  skilled 
work  of  the  manipulation  and  mixing  of  the  clay,  but 
also  as  giving  important  proof  of  its  early  use  and 
antiquity. 

In  the  tombs  of  Thebes,  dating  about  2,000  years 
B.C.,  have  been  discovered  drawings,  showing  the 
potter  at  work  kneading,  balling,  and  throwing  the  clay, 
and  it  is  a  curious  fact  that,  until  quite  recently,  this 
latter  part  of  the  work  of  the  potter  has  been  almost 
identical  through  some  thousands  of  years,  except  that 
in  this  century  the  motive  power  of  machinery  has 
been  brought  into  use  instead  of  hand  labour. 

To    a  certain  extent,  too,  the  same  system  of 
decoration — varying,  of  course,   materially  in  treat* 
ment  and  skill  of  drawing  and  colouring,  as  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  world  progressed — has  been  carried  out. 

Throughout  all  ages  the  potter's  art  has  taken  high 
rank  in  the  manufactures  of  nations,  and  many  dis- 
tinguished poets,  historians,  and  philosophers  have 
been  handed  down  as  eminent  in  the  art,  while,  from 
the  days  of  Phidias  to  those  of  Flaxman,  eminent 


248  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE  OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


sculptors  have  been  associated  with  the  potter  in  the 
making  of  models  and  designs.  In  the  various  national 
museums  throughout  the  world  are  preserved  many 
exquisite  specimens  of  pottery,  in  which  the  interest  of 
the  historic  and  mythological  stories  worked  in  their 
decoration  is  combined  with  grace  and  beauty  of  form. 

What  can  be  more  artistic  or  beautiful  than  the 
old  Dutch  terra-cotta  stove  shown  in  the  illustration, 
and  why  cannot  modern  potters  give  us  stoves  of  equally 
good  artistic  character,  but  simpler  in  design,  for  heat- 
ing large  halls,  studios,  or  picture  galleries  ? 

From  the  tombs  of  Etruria  and  Pompeii,  from  the 
burial-places  of  ancient  Britons,  many  interesting  speci- 
mens have  been  gathered,  all  telling  of  the  early  use 
of  pottery.  In  early  mediaeval  times,  many  architec- 
tural monuments  were  adorned  with  specimens  of  the 
potter's  art,  and  the  works  of  Luca  della  Robbia, 
sculptor,  goldsmith,  and  potter,  are  amongst  those 
which  are  most  valued.  In  Italy,  the  lustre  ware  of 
Gubbio,  Urbino,  and  Faenza — which  Mr.  de  Morgan 
is  so  successfully  endeavouring  to  imitate — the  delft 
ware  of  Holland,  the  exquisite  faience  of  Persia, — in  the 
Azulejos  of  the  Alhambra,  and  the  so-called  Rhodian 
ware, — and  the  marvellous  examples  of  faience  and 
porcelain  of  China  and  Japan  ;  and,  in  later  times,  the 


2  SO 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


works  of  Sevres,  and  the  best  of  our  own  English 
potters,  have  all  been  equally  sought  for  and  prized  as 
gems  of  artistic  production.  While  we  are  glad  to 
pay  large  prices  to  secure  examples  of  any  of  these 
artistic  productions  for  our  cabinets,  or  for  the  deco- 
ration of  our  rooms,  we  might  surely  insist  that  the 
things  we  use  daily  on  our  tables,  or  the  commoner 
ornaments  or  vases  which  we  place  on  our  mantel- 
pieces for  use  and  show,  should  be,  in  some  slight 
degree,  a  reflex  of  those  ancient  examples  which  we 
prize  so  much,  not  only  for  their  intrinsic  value,  but 
for  their  artistic  beauty.  Without  copying  their  in- 
dividual peculiarities,  we  might  learn  from  their  general 
exquisite  form,  and  design  of  ornament  and  decora- 
tion, some  lessons  for  the  treatment  of  similar  articles 
in  our  own  day  and  generation,  so  that  we  might 
eventually  be  able  to  produce,  not  only  articles  of 
luxury,  but  the  commonest  objects  of  every-day  use, 
beautiful  in  form,  good  in  colouring,  and  graceful  in 
design  and  decoration. 

Many  of  the  best  firms  are,  I  am  glad  to  say,  turn- 
ing their  attention  to  these  common  objects,  and  are 
producing  every  day  breakfast,  dinner,  tea,  and  toilet 
services,  combining  excellence  of  form  and  workman- 
ship with  delicacy  of  colouring  and  moderation  of  cost. 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


251 


In  the  commoner  objects,  however,  there  is  yet  much 
to  be  desired  ;  a  dish  or  bowl,  good  in  shape,  is  often 
utterly  ruined  by  some  vulgar  piece  of  ornamentation, 
or  handle  of  coarse  and  ugly  form  and  shape,  or  by 
crude  enamel  colouring,  which  chips  and  breaks  off 
with  the  least  knock. 

It  is  questionable  whether  the  taste  which  produced 
many  really  beautiful  examples  of  pottery,-  faience,  and 
porcelain,  contributed  by  some  of  the  leading  English 
firms  to  the  late  Paris  Exhibition,  and  illustrating,  to  a 
great  extent,  mere  attempts  at  copying  or  imitating 
Oriental  and  European  designs  and  colours,  is  right  in 
principle  ;  quite  certain  it  is,  however,  that  English 
artists  can  never  imitate  that  delicacy  of  drawing  and 
finesse  of  design  and  decoration  so  peculiar  to  Oriental 
art,  in  which,  by  a  few  dots  and  seemingly  careless 
touches,  infinite  beauty  of  effect  is  produced.  The 
Oriental  artists  never  painted  two  flowers  alike,  but 
varied  their  designs  with  infinite  grace  and  beauty  of 
everchanging  ornament,  whereas  the  English  and 
European  artists,  if  they  do  attempt  irregularity  at  all, 
show  a  manifest  method  in  it,  as  utterly  unlike  the 
real  thing  as  modern  blue  and  white  is  to  the  old 
work  of  the  same  kind. 

Messrs.  Doulton  &  Co.,  of  Lambeth,  have  of  late 


252 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


years  laid  themselves  out,  w  ith  great  success,  to  produce 
terra-cotta  work  and  pottery  of  good  artistic  character 
for  architectural  ornamentation.    In  the  stone  ware, 
known  as  1  Doulton '  or  '  Lambeth  ware,'  they  have  been 
eminently  successful  in  producing  work  not  only  good 
in  form,  but  very  beautiful  in  decoration,  design,  and 
glazing  ;  thanks  chiefly  to  their  having  secured  the  ser- 
vices of  skilful  artists  and  designers, — foremost  amongst 
whom  are  Mr.   George  Tinworth,  whilom  pupil  and 
student  at  the  Lambeth  School  of  Art,  and  Miss 
Barlow, — whose  designs  and  ornamentations  of  the 
various    works   executed  under    them,    by  Messrs. 
Doulton,  are  especially  good  in  modelling,  design, 
and  decorative  treatment. 

This  ware  is  practically  the  treatment  of  pure 
pottery  clay,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  system  known 
as  pate-sur-patd  in  porcelain,  the  art  of  painting  with 
clay  upon  clay,  by  which  great  beauty  and  artistic 
character  of  decoration  is  obtained.  The  especial 
characteristics  are  perhaps  the  beauty  and  depth  of  the 
glaze,  which  are  entirely  obtained  by  the  decomposition 
of  salt  in  intense  heat.  The  various  tints  required  are 
painted  on  the  clay  before  firing,  and  the  uncertainty 
of  the  firing  and  glazing  prevents  any  two  pieces  being- 
alike  ;  the  manufacturers  themselves  hardly  knowing 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


-S3 


what  will  be  the  result  of  the  firing,  and  only  arriving 
at  a  general  idea  by  the  known  effects  produced. 

I  give  two  illustrations,  Plates  XXIII.  and  XXIV., 
of  various  articles  de  luxe  and  for  domestic  use,  made 
by  this  firm  to  illustrate  this  portion  of  my  lecture, 
and  I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  the  improvement 
shown  therein,  in  form,  outline,  and  decoration. 

By  these  it  will  be  seen  that  the  commonest 
articles  of  domestic  use,  filters,  beer-jugs,  tobacco-jars, 
butter-coolers,  teapots,  salad-bowls,  and  the  smaller 
pieces,  such  as  salt-cellars,  pepper-boxes,  and  common 
candlesticks,  are  all  treated  artistically,  with  good 
forms  and  ornamentation,  and  generally  in  a  practical 
and  common-sense  manner  for  every-day  use. 

In  the  present  day,  painted  tiles  are  largely  used, 
not  only  for  wall  decoration,  but  in  the  design  of  very 
many  articles  of  furniture.  All  this  kind  of  work  may 
well  be  taken  up  by  women,  anxious,  if  possible,  by 
some  honourable  means  to  gain  a  livelihood  in  the 
world,  provided  they  will  give  a  fair  and  proper  study 
to  the  theory  and  practice  of  the  art,  and  not  look  too 
lightly  on  the  study  and  application  necessary  to 
produce  any  really  good  work,  by  doing  which  they 
will  assuredly  fail  in  producing  any  satisfactory  result. 

By  a  careful  study  of  natural  objects,  or  even  mere 


254 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


skill  of  adaptation  of  good  designs,  much  may  be  done 
by  any  lady  who  has  fair  taste  and  skill  in  drawing, 
and  the  knowledge  of  colouring  necessary  to  produce 
really  good  decorative  work  on  china.    With  a  little 
thoughtful  labour  and  care,  women  may  paint  decora- 
tive tiles  for  any  ordinary  purposes,  and  may,  if  they 
are  content  to  labour  diligently  to  produce  good  draw- 
ing and  harmony  of  colour  and  design,  make  it  a  work 
of  profit  as  well  as  of  pleasure.    In  every  garden  there 
are  innumerable  flowers,  which  can  be  arranged  natur- 
ally or  conventionally  for  tile  or  china  decoration  ; 
these  should  be  drawn  in  outline,  and  slightly  tinted  in 
one  or  two  colours,  so  as  to  be  easy  of  production,  for 
it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  million  will  gladly  buy 
simply  painted  tiles,  or  china  ware,  for  decorative  pur- 
poses or  use,  if  well  drawn  and  good  in  design  ;  where 
the  few  can  only  afford  to  purchase,  at  any  remunera- 
tive price,  the  more  elaborate  pieces  of  painted  faience 
and  porcelain,  which  are  the  result  of  long  years  of 
labour  and  infinite  knowledge,  gained  by  much  patience 
and  innumerable  failures. 

There  is  no  reason  why  this  kind  of  work  should 
not  be  taken  up  by  numbers  of  women,  who  are 
anxiously  seeking  to  find  some  remunerative  use  for 
their  artistic  talents  ;  too  often,  however,  they  are  not 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


255 


content  to  follow  out  the  simpler  work,  but  aim  at  pro- 
ducing elaborate  paintings,  often  more  or  less  adapted 
from  inferior  copies,  and  thus,  as  a  rule,  invariably  fail 
from  insufficient  knowledge  or  want  of  power  in  draw- 
ing and  design.  This  is  more  especially  noticeable  in 
figure  work,  which  requires  years  of  close  study  and 
drawing  from  nature,  before  any  real  excellence  can  be 
obtained.  Some  of  the  exquisite  paintings  of  p&U-sur- 
pdtd  on  china  by  M.  Solon,  for  Messrs.  Minton,  Camp- 
bell, and  Co.,  are  especially  beautiful  in  drawing  and 
general  treatment  of  design. 

The  aim  of  all  true  art  should  be  to  produce  good 
work  for  the  million,  and  thus  gradually  to  oust  out  all 
that  is  bad  and  ugly,  by  bringing  into  common  every- 
day use  things  beautiful  and  artistic  in  colouring  and 
design.  It  is  easy  to  produce  elaborate  and  costly 
works  for  the  few  collectors  who  may  care  to  purchase 
them,  but  it  is  infinitely  more  satisfactory  to  make 
good  work,  which  shall  be  within  the  reach  of  all 
classes  of  the  community.  I  was  indebted  to  my 
friend  Miss  Spiers,  who  is  an  artist  in  every  sense  of 
the  word,  for  some  excellent  examples  of  artistic 
design  and  colouring  in  painted  plates  and  dishes, 
which,  through  her  kindness  and  courtesy,  I  was 
enabled  to  exhibit,  as  illustrating  this  portion  of  my 


256 


lecture,  and  to  Messrs.  Minton  for  some  excellent 
examples  of  cheap  hand-painted  and  printed  tiles,  suit- 
able for  the  lining  of  fire-places,  ordinary  panels, 
wash-hand-stands,  and  other  every-day  purposes,  many 
of  which  can  be  bought  from  is,  to  2s.  6d.  each. 

Dr.  George  Birdwood,  in  a  lecture  lately  given  in 
the  Rooms  of  the  Society  of  Arts,  very  aptly  drew 
attention  to  the  causes  which,  to  a  large  extent,  were 
enfeebling  and  corrupting  the  artistic  character  of 
Indian  pottery,  and  many  of  his  remarks  may  justly 
be  applied  to  all  other  pottery  and  porcelain  of  the 
present  day,  insisting  as  they  did  on  beauty  of  form, 
delicacy  of  surface,  and  gracefulness  and  proper  sub- 
ordination of  ornament  in  all  articles  of  domestic  use. 

In  the  examples  of  pottery,  faience,  and  porcelain 
of  all  countries  of  all  dates,  up  to  the  last  two  centuries, 
as  a  rule,  we  find  beauty  of  outline,  comeliness  of  form 
and  decoration,  and  harmony  and  moderation  of 
ornamentation  and  colouring,  not  only  in  the  more 
elaborate  objects,  but  in  the  smallest  and  most  unim- 
portant pieces  of  domestic  ware.  Why,  therefore, 
cannot  we  have  nowadays  all  things  more  or  less  beauti- 
ful and  truthful  in  design  and  treatment  ?  If  only  the 
manufacturers  and  their  designers  would  seek  to  copy 
the  simplicity  of  ancient  forms,  rather  than  to  strive 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


257 


after  the  production  of  grotesque  novelties  in  shape 
and  colouring,  then  might  we  hope  that  everything  in 
daily  use  should  be  more  or  less  true  in  taste,  correct 
in  drawing,  and  beautiful  in  form. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  assert  that  grace  and 
beauty  in  design  need  be  no  more  expensive  than 
ugliness  and  eccentricity,  and  that  education  in  artistic 
matters,  combined  with  a  study  of  all  that  is  graceful 
and  beautiful  in  the  best  periods  of  art,  can  alone  help 
us  to  that  refinement  and  innate  truth  and  elegance  of 
design  which  should  guide  us  in  the  humblest  as  in 
the  most  elaborate  productions  of  pottery,  faience,  and 
porcelain  in  the  present  day. 

In  these  days  much  anxiety  is  rightly  shown  for 
providing  work  of  brain,  eye,  and  hand,  in  which  the 
tenderness  of  touch  and  true  feeling  of  taste  of  the 
lady  portion  of  the  community  may  be  utilised  for  the 
general  good  of  humanity,  and  as  a  means  of  liveli- 
hood to  themselves.  In  painting  on  china  and  artistic 
embroidery  there  are,  I  contend,  ample  opportunities 
— at  once  legitimate  and  useful — for  their  skill  and 
taste,  which  may  be  used  to  the  advantage  of  the 
public  and  to  the  profit  of  themselves. 

In  the  present  fashion  for  art-needlework,  there  is 
excellent  opportunity  offered  for  ladies  to  take  up  work 

s 


258 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


which  is  especially  their  own,  and  which,  rightly  carried 
out,  lends  itself  essentially  to  good  decoration  in  the 
various  hangings  and  coverings  so  necessary  in  all 
houses ;  but  here  again  there  seems  to  be  something 
wrong,  either  in  the  training  of  those  who  learn  their 
art  at  some  fashionable  school  of  needlework,  or  in  the 
taste  of  those  who  make  the  designs,  for  the  work 
which  is  offered  to  the  public  is  not  always  artistic, 
and  too  often  is  filled  with  too  much  elaboration  of 
detail  and  ornament,  involving  infinite  labour  and 
infinite  expense. 

I  have  had  recently  worked  for  me,  by  a  lady  who 
has  devoted  some  portion  of  her  time,  for  various 
reasons,  in  part  to  art-needlework,  some  excellent 
curtain  borders,  in  crewel-work,  in  which  the  arrange- 
ment of  natural  flowers  into  a  sort  of  conventional 
pattern, — necessary  for  the  treatment  of  a  narrow 
curtain  border, — was  carried  out  in  a  highly  artistic  and 
satisfactory  manner.  But  then  the  worker  was  practi- 
cally an  artist,  who,  instead  of  copying  bad  examples, 
out  of  a  book,  of  some  stereotyped  pattern  of  decora- 
tion, went  into  the  garden  or  the  field,  and  copied  in 
one  case  sunflowers,  sunflower  buds,  and  leaves;  in 
another,  flowering  rush  and  corn  flowers  ;  in  a  third, 
Tritoma  uvaria  grandiflora,  or  what  is  commonly 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


called  1  poker  plant,'  and  arranged  the  design  practi- 
cally as  she  worked,  so  that  no  one  yard  of  border- 
ing was  exactly  like  another  ;  but  the  whole  was 
harmoniously  and  gracefully  treated,  and  the  brilliant 
colouring  and  true  artistic  rendering  in  the  work,  thus 
rightly  treated,  assisted  much  in  the  general  effect 
of  the  room  ;  the  cost,  exclusive  of  materials,  was  a 
guinea  a  yard,  a  marvellously  reasonable  price  for  real 
art  work,  which,  with  care,  may  last  for  generations 
and  be  always  beautiful.  But  it  is  useless  repeating 
in  crewel  or  applique  embroidery,  Japanese  designs  or 
elaborate  arabesques  not  adapted  in  any  way  for  such 
work.  There  are  innumerable  ways  in  which  this 
really  artistic  embroidery  can  be  made  eminently  de- 
corative, and  eminently  useful  for  all  kinds  of  coverings, 
hangings,  and  for  dress,  and  I  should  gladly  see  it 
more  largely  used,  but  the  proper  rendering  of  em- 
broidery and  applique'  work  is  as  much  a  matter  of 
artistic  training  as  painting,  or  any  other  work  of  the 
kind ;  and  we  are  apt  to  be  disgusted  with  the  many 
poverty-stricken  attempts  of  young  lady  amateurs, 
who  offer  us,  for  natural  effects,  the  stiffness  and  ugli- 
ness of  conventional  forms,  on  chair  coverings,  dresses, 
and  antimacassars,  and  to  hesitate  before  suggesting 
work  of  the  kind,  for  fear  that  it  should  be  not  only 

S  2 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


extravagant  in  price,  but  unsatisfactory  and  unartistic 
in  design  and  treatment.  With  good  taste  and  artistic 
skill,  embroidery  of  all  kinds  may  be  largely  used  to 
beautify  and  enliven  our  rooms. 

We  are  told  that  the  holy  robes  of  Aaron  were 
bordered  by  pomegranates  of  blue  and  purple  and 
scarlet,  intermingled  with  bells  of  pure  gold,  and  in 
every  museum  in  the  world,  and  in  many  an  old  house, 
there  still  remain  examples  of  ancient  embroidery, 
eminently  beautiful,  the  work  of  many  a  noble  lady, 
and  many  a  devout  religieuse ;  but  with  everything 
else  in  the  seventeenth  century,  embroidery  became 
debased  in  taste  and  workmanship.  Now  that  it  is 
being  so  largely  taken  up  again,  it  is  well  to  remember 
that  to  be  good,  the  design,  drawing,  and  work  must 
be  the  work  of  one  head  and  one  pair  of  hands,  and 
for  true  artistic  rendering  Mr.  Ruskin's  precept,  'that 
the  first  condition  of  an  ideal  work  of  art  is  that  it 
should  be  conceived  and  carried  out  by  one  person,'  is 
more  or  less  essential. 

We  .pride  ourselves,  nowadays,  on  the  general 
purity  and  excellence  of  our  English  glass,  and  yet 
how  often  do  we  see  the  most  beautiful  forms  utterly 
ruined  by  inartistic  engraving  and  cutting,  or  coarse 
and  crude  colouring  !    It  is  not  necessary  to  describe 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


261 


the  many  uses  to  which  glass,  in  all  ages,  has  been 
applied,  whether  in  the  mosaics  of  Pompeii  or  the 
elaborate  Roman  glass  engraving,  such  as  the  marvel- 
lous gem-like  work  of  the  Portland  vase — of  which 
an  exceedingly  good  copy  has  been  made  by  Messrs* 
Wedgwood,  and  is  shown  in  one  of  the  illustrations  of 
the  work  of  this  firm — or  in  the  elaborate  designs  and 
skilful  workmanship  of  the  Byzantine  enamelled  and 
gilded  glass,  or  in  the  exquisite  examples  of  Venetian 
filagree  work,  in  which  great  elegance  of  form,  and 
infinite  variety  of  colouring  were  combined  with  the 
highest  skill  in  handicraft  and  design. 

In  the  numerous  modern  examples  of  Venetian 
glass  there  is  much  that  is  graceful  and  beautiful  in 
design  and  treatment,  but,  unfortunately,  the  influence 
of  bad  designs,  and  a  craving  after  so-called  novelty  of 
treatment,  is  doing  much  to  damage  otherwise  beautiful 
work,  and  modern  requirements  and  false  taste  are 
falling  foul  of  ancient  traditions,  and  in  glass  as  in 
china  we  are  seeing  imitations  of  work  essentially 
suggestive  of  other  materials,  and  utterly  subversive  of 
true  artistic  treatment. 

In  purity  of  material  and  skill  in  production,  glass- 
makers  can,  to  a  great  extent,  hold  their  own  with  the 
workmen  of  any  period  of  the  art,  but,  unfortunately, 


262  DECORATION  AM)  FURNITURE 

with  their  skill  of  handicraft  there  is  a  manifest  deteriora- 
tion of  design  and  artistic  treatment,  which  would 
seem  to  arise  from  absurd  attempts  to  produce  in 
glass,  objects  and  forms  utterly  inconsistent  with  the 
true  use  and  rendering  of  the  material,  and  quite  in- 
consistent with  its  real  use  and  purpose.  In  glass,  as 
in  pottery,  queer  and  grotesque  forms,  coarseness  and 
bad  elaboration  of  ornament  and  detail,  are  taking  the 
place  of  graceful  charm  and  beauty  of  form,  which 
the  peculiar  delicacy  of  the  material  would  seem  to 
suggest  in  its  proper  treatment. 

By  all  means  let  us  reproduce  old  Venetian  forms, 
.and  put  into  the  modern  glass  all  the  delicacy  of 
•colouring  and  shape  peculiar  to  the  best  works  of 
ancient  examples,  but  in  the  interest  of  art,  of  common 
sense,  and  practical  use,  let  us  avoid  all  extravagant 
forms,  which  are  not  only  bad  in  art  but  costly  in 
make.  Table  glass  should  be  as  pure  and  as  simple 
as  possible,  delicate  in  shape  and  ornamentation,  in- 
expensive and  fitting. 

It  may  be  a  triumph  of  mechanical  skill  to  produce 
a  throne  or  a  buffet  in  solid  glass,  but  surely  utterly 
inconsistent  with  the  real  use  of  the  material  ;  and 
while  it  is  legitimate  to  employ  the  highest  talent, 
in  producing  such  elaborate  and  eminently  artistic 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


263 


designs  of  engraving,  cutting,  and  modelling  shown  in 
the  examples  by  Messrs.  Webb  in  the  late  Paris 
Exhibition,  surely  it  is  utterly  out  of  keeping  with  the 
real  purpose  of  the  material,  which  is  at  once  brittle 
and  risky  to  move  without  extreme  care,  to  employ  it 
for  furniture  stands  and  other  works  of  the  kind.  In 
table  glass  it  is  essential  to  have  elegance  in  form 
combined  with  purity  of  decorative  treatment,  and  we 
may  well  be  thankful  for  the  revival  of  the  art  of  the 
old  Venetian  glass-workers,  which  is  giving  to  us  for 
every-day  use  table  glass,  ornamental  and  useful, 
chandeliers,  sconces,  and  a  host  of  similiar  objects  of 
great  excellence  in  design,  great  beauty  of  form,  and 
moderation  of  cost. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  advocate  in  any  way  the 
more  extensive  use  of  foreign-made  glass  to  the 
detriment  of  our  own  English  ware,  but  I  cannot  help 
feeling  that  a  dining-table  looks  infinitely  more  cheer- 
ful and  more  artistic  when  covered  with  water  bottles, 
flower  vases,  and  glasses  of  variety  of  colour  and  form, 
than  with  the  cold  monotony  of  ordinary  English  glass, 
no  matter  how  pure  its  crystal  or  how  elaborate  its 
cutting.  The  present  fashion  for  colour  and  variety, 
in  glass  as  well  as  in  everything  else,  is  inducing 
English  manufacturers  to  turn  their  attention  to  similar 


264  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 

work,  and  Messrs.  Powell  and  Sons,  of  Whitefriars, 
and  other  manufacturers,  have  produced  many  exceed- 
ingly beautiful  specimens  of  artistic  glass  for  domestic 
purposes  at  very  moderate  cost.  But  to  the  humble 
glass-blowers  of  Murano, — whose  forefathers,  for  six 
centuries,  largely  contributed  to  the  prosperity  of 
Venice,  spreading  the  glory  of  its  name  to  all  parts 
of  the  world, — must  be  conceded  the  prize  for  innate 
beauty  of  form,  colour,  and  ornamentation,  and  for 
infinite  variety  of  all  kinds  of  table  glass,  in  which 
most  of  the  old  forms,  still  remaining  in  the  local 
museum  at  Murano,  have  been  copied,  or  adapted  for 
modern  requirements,  and  in  which  there  is,  for  the 
most  part,  the  same  good  artistic  treatment  and  purity 
of  form  ;  and,  what  is  infinitely  more  to  the  purpose  in 
these  very  practical  days,  it  can  be  bought  at  a  price 
which  bears  favourable  comparison  with  any  glass  in 
this  country  especially  made  for  domestic  purposes. 

The  modern  Venetian  glass  made  by  the  Murano 
Glass  Co.,  examples  of  which  are  shown  in  the  illus- 
trations Nos.  XXV.  and  XXVI.,  are  all  more  or  less 
adapted  from  ancient  examples,  are  good  in  design, 
suitable  for  general  domestic  use,  and  exceedingly 
moderate  in  cost,  some  of  the  pieces  being  sold  for  a 
few  shillings,  the  ordinary  wine  glasses  costing  about 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


265 


iZs.  a  dozen,  and  the  decanters  and  water  bottles  from 
about  255*.  the  pair. 

The  more  elaborate  examples  of  articles  de  luxe 
have  been  copied  from  old  pieces  from  various  collec- 
tions in  this  country  and  abroad,  and  are  especially 
beautiful  in  workmanship  and  colouring. 

In  English  glass  we  see  great  variety  of  forms, 
many  exceedingly  graceful  and  good,  great  excellence 
of  cutting  and  engraving,  and  occasionally  some  fairly 
good  specimens  of  coloured  and  gilt  glass,  but  we  look 
in  vain  for  anything  which  may  compare  with  the 
exceeding  elegance  and  high  artistic  character  of  the 
old  Roman  or  Venetian  glass.  Quite  recently,  at- 
tempts have  been  made  by  the  Murano  Glass  Co.,  with 
some  success,  to  revive  the  old  Roman  practice  of 
placing  a  thin  film  of  gold  between  two  layers  of 
glass,  and  to  overlay  one  colour  with  another  ;  and, 
by  cutting,  to  produce  a  cameo-like  effect  in  the 
ornamentation.  But  we  have  yet  much  to  learn 
before  we  can,  in  any  way,  notwithstanding  all  our 
supposed  greater  knowledge  and  higher  education  of 
the  working  classes,  attain  to  that  perfection  of  skill 
and  beauty  of  form  and  ornamentation  which  are  so 
noticeable  in  all  the  old  glass.  There  is  no  need 
why  our  glass  should  be  made  heavy  with  red  lead, 


266 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


for  the  purposes  of  giving  increased  brilliancy  to  it 
when  cut ;  we  can  have  the  same  lightness  of  material 
as  in  the  olden  glass,  and  ought  to  be  able  to  produce 
the  most  elaborate  designs  and  the  simplest  forms  for 
every-day  use  equally  well,  equally  beautiful,  equally 
artistic,  and  at  reasonable  cost. 

In  the  last  Paris  Exhibition,  Messrs.  Powell  and 
Sons,  Messrs.  Webb,  and  other  English  manufacturers, 
exhibited  collections  of  glass  of  high  excellence,  show- 
ing marked  progress  and  improvement  in  design  and 
workmanship.  But  what  we  want  nowadays  is  that 
our  English  manufacturers  should  give  us  good  general 
forms  for  table  use,  sconces,  and  candelabra  for  ordinary 
rooms,  of  common-sense  and  artistic  design,  and  vases, 
bowls,  and  dishes  for  ornament  and  use,  of  really  good 
form  and  ornamentation,  at  a  price  that  shall  be  within 
the  reach  of  all. 

In  the  lower  sitting-rooms  of  most  town  houses 
it  is  necessary  to  have  some  sort  of  lower  screen  or 
blind,  to  render  the  rooms  fairly  private  from  the  gaze 
of  too  curious  passers-by.  For  this  purpose  all  kinds 
of  contrivances  have  been  carried  out,  from  the  old 
wire-gauze  blind,  with  its  general  dirty  and  dingy  look, 
and  everlasting  painted  ornament  of  Greek  fret  or 
jioneysuckle  border,  to  the  curious  twisted  cane  in- 


Plate N?  26. 


Table  Glass  •  the  venice  and  murano  class  and  mosaic  company 


267 


ventions,  which  are  bad  in  design,  and  infinitely  too 
spotty  and  strong  in  colour  to  be  pleasant  accessories 
in  any  room,  in  which  artistic  decoration  of  any  kind 
is  thought  of.    Instead,  therefore,  of  these  coarse  and 
unsatisfactory  arrangements,  I  suggest  that  either  a 
pattern  of  good  diaper,  or  good  ornament,  be  done  on 
the  lower  portion  of  the  window-glass,  by  the  ordinary 
means  of  embossing,  or  that  a  second  sheet  of  glass 
containing  the  pattern — which  may  be  done  in  slight 
tints — be  fixed  on  the  inside  face  ;  or,  better  still,  have 
blinds  of  what  is  called  jewelled  glass  in  square  quarry 
lights,  or  good  figure  or  flower  decoration  in  leaded 
glass,  either  done  in  outline,  and  stained  in  delicate 
tones  of  yellow,  or  worked  out  in  good  stained  glass  of 
various  colours  ;  these  can  be  made  to  any  height,  and 
fixed  inside  the  sash  so  as  to  be  easily  removed  for 
cleaning  purposes.    All  this  kind  of  work  can  be  done 
at  the  cost  of  a  few  shillings  a  foot  superficial,  and  will 
add  materially  to  the  charm  of  the  room.  Blinds  fixed  to 
the  sashes  in  this  way  may  be  objected  to,  on  the  ground 
that  the  sash  weights  will  have  to  be  altered  to  carry 
the  extra  weight  of  the  blind,  and  that  when  the  lower 
sash  is  opened  the  use  of  the  blind  is  practically  done 
away  with  ;  but  the  first  objection  may  be  got  over  at 
the  price  of  a  few  shillings  per  window,  and  if  flower-, 


268 


boxes  are  fixed  on  the  sills  outside,  made  of  ordinary 
zinc,  with  blue  and  white  tiles  inserted  in  the  front,  at 
a  cost  of  from  20s.  to  $os.  each  box,  not  only  will  the 
latter  objection  be  done  away  with,  but  the  bright  and 
cheery  look  of  low  shrubs  in  winter,  and  many- 
coloured  and  sweet-scented  flowers  in  summer,  will 
add  materially  to  the  pleasantness  of  the  room. 

I  am  quite  aware  that  I  am  offering  no  new  sug- 
gestions in  these  remarks  on  blinds  and  flower-boxes. 
I  am  simply  advocating  their  much  greater  use.  For, 
beyond  the  pleasure  to  yourselves  in  the  pleasant  out- 
look upon  bright  flowers,  the  colour  of  the  tiles  and 
flowers  would  be  grateful  spots  of  life  and  colour  in 
the  dreary  monotony  of  our  town  streets.  All  this 
kind  of  arrangement  will  be  found  much  better  than 
the  ordinary  frame  blinds,  which  are  fixed  with  bolts 
to  the  sash-beads,  and  are  troublesome  to  take  down 
and  often  in  the  way,  especially  when  flower-boxes 
are  set  outside  as  I  have  suggested. 

In  all  kinds  of  silver,  electro-plate,  bronze,  brass, 
and  ironwork  in  the  present  day,  there  is  generally  an 
utter  want  of  taste,  in  form,  artistic  design,  and  general 
treatment.  We  have  been  inundated  with  specimens 
of  almost  every  description  of  metal  of  the  worst 
possible  taste,  and  often  of  cheap  and  inferior  work- 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


269 


manship,  for  which  we  are  largely  indebted  to  the  manu- 
facturers of  Birmingham,  whose  goods,  at  once  bad  in 
taste  and  cheap  and  trumpery  in  execution,  have  ob- 
tained the  justly  opprobrious  title  of  1  Brummagem/  sig- 
nifying, I  take  it,  all  that  is  nasty,  cheap,  and  inferior  ; 
mind,  I  do  not  include  in  this  sweeping  condemna- 
tion the  works  of  Messrs.  Elkington  and  other  manu- 
facturers of  similar  standing,  who  have  done  their  best 
to  produce  metal  work  of  great  artistic  merit  and  great 
perfection  in  manufacture  ;  but  it  is  miserable  to  see  on 
our  tables  the  trashy  cruet-stands  of  filthy  form  and  orna- 
mentation, and  the  hundred  and  one  articles  in  the  shape 
of  dpergnes,  cups,  vases,  tea  and  coffee  services,  candle- 
sticks, and  ornaments  of  all  kinds,  utterly  devoid  of  all 
good  artistic  character,  commonplace  in  design,  and 
eminently  trashy  in  execution  and  make  ;  or  to  see  in 
our  rooms  the  commonest  and  most  flimsy  arrange- 
ments in  the  shape  of  door  handles  and  cast  brass 
bell-pulls,  which  are  always  coming  off  or  breaking, 
to  our  personal  discomfort  and  continued  expense  in 
replacing. 

As  specimens  of  good  artistic  iron  and  brass  work, 
adapted  for  general  domestic  purposes,  I  submit  an 
illustration,  Plate  XXVII.,  showing  examples  of  stoves 
and  general  ironmongery  made  by  Mr.  Thomas  Elsley, 


270 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


of  Great  Portland  Street,  which  I  have  selected  for  the 
purpose  of  showing  that,  even  in  the  smallest  fittings  of 
a  house,  good  design  and  good  art  may  be  obtained  for 
almost  the  same  cost  as  the  inferior  and  generally  ugly 
and  commonplace  fittings  which  are  nowadays  so  largely 
used.  Some  of  the  articles  illustrated  are  necessarily 
expensive  from  the  elaboration  and  manual  labour  in- 
volved in  their  making,  but  the  rcpoussd  brass  or 
copper  finger  plate  shown  in  the  illustration  at  ic\s\,  or 
the  engraved  brass  bell-pull  at  25^.,  cannot  be  called 
expensive,  when  it  is  understood  that  the  make  and 
workmanship  are  as  good  as  they  can  be,  in  addition 
to  their  artistic  merit.  The  grate  shown  can  be  bought 
in  plain  iron  for  about  3/.  complete,  which  is  no  more 
than  the  cost  of  the  commonest  kind  of  register  stove, 
with  its  hideously  designed  ornament  and  burnished 
steel  mouldings. 

There  is  no  absolute  reason  why  most  of  these 
articles  of  domestic  use  should  not  be  made  good  in 
form  and  shape,  honest  and  strong  in  construction,  and 
at  the  same  cost  as  that  now  paid  for  them,  except 
perhaps  that  the  manufacturer  will  not  take  the  trouble 
to  procure  two  or  three  really  good  designs,  or  to  copy 
some  of  the  exquisitely  beautiful  forms  of  ancient 
examples,  and   work   only  upon   these  models  for 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


271 


general  cheap  things  ;  perhaps,  even  if  he  were  willing 
to  do  this,  he  might  well  answer  that  the  public  would 
not  continue  to  buy  of  him,  and  would  demand  in  his 
work,  as  in  that  of  most  other  trades,  continual  novelty 
and  continual  change  at  the  lowest  possible  cost. 

I  cannot  help  believing  that  both  arguments  are 
wrong  ;  a  vast  proportion  of  the  public  are  able  to 
appreciate  good  forms  when  they  see  them,  and  many 
of  them  are  willing  to  pay  high  prices  for  old  silver  of 
artistic  design  and  shape,  and  would,  I  am  satisfied, 
prefer  to  have,  as  far  as  possible,  all  these  small 
necessaries  of  daily  use  equally  good  in  shape  and 
ornamentation,  and  to  pay  a  fair  price  for  the  better 
article,  rather  than  have  the  same  things  bad  in  form 
and  altogether  unartistic,  provided  always  that,  having 
regard  to  better  quality  and  sounder  construction,  they 
could  get  them  on  equal  terms  as  regards  price.  Un- 
fortunately, as  a  rule,  this  is  not  to  be  done,  for  the 
manufacturer  naturally  answers  that  things  artistic  in 
character  demand  much  higher  skill  of  handicraft, 
more  careful  execution,  and  therefore  higher  cost  of 
production,  and  that  he  cannot,  therefore,  produce 
them  without  adding  to  the  price  charged  for  the 
ordinary  commonplace  productions  of  similar  character, 
or  else  materially  lessening  his  profit  on  the  transac- 


272  DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 

tion,  and  this  we,  a  nation  of  shopkeepers,  can  hardly 
expect  him  to  do. 

I  combat  this  by  saying  that  the  higher  education 
of  all  workmen  and  the  constant  opportunities  given  to 
them  of  seeing  and  studying  good  work  of  all  kinds, 
should,  if  they  have  any  real  heart  in  their  work, 
imbue  them  with  the  same  kind  of  artistic  feeling  as 
was  evidently  in  the  hearts  and  heads  of  the  old 
workers,  and  that  it  should  be  as  difficult — with  real 
love  and  regard  for  their  work  and  knowledge  of  true 
form — for  them  to  produce  ugly  things  as  it  would 
seem  nowadays  for  them  to  produce  beautiful  ones. 

I  am  quite  aware  that  all  this  kind  of  argument 
may  sound  Utopian,  and  that  I  may  fairly  be  told  that 
in  ancient  days  the  workmen  were  surrounded  with 
refinement  and  art  work  of  the  highest  type  in  great 
things  as  well  as  in  small,  and  that  they  worked  practi- 
cally under  totally  different  conditions  to  what  they 
have  to  do  in  the  present  day  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
in  olden  days  the  workmen  took  infinite  delight  in  the 
work  that  they  did,  it  was  a  source  of  pleasure  and  of 
emulation  ;  high  art  and  industrial  art  with  them  were 
synonymous  terms,  and  whether  we  look  at  the 
marvellous  examples  of  gold  and  silver  filagree  and 
chasing,  repoussd  copper  work,  modelled  bronzes,  and 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  273 

plate  of  all  descriptions  still  left  us  of  the  ancient 
Greek  and  Roman  periods,  or  at  those  of  the  early 
mediaeval  times  under  the  Gothic  kings,  or  at  those 
of  the  later  days  of  the  Italian  Renaissance,  we  notice 
throughout  infinite  beauty  of  form,  delicacy  of  work, 
and  the  highest  skill  of  handicraft,  and  it  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  all  these  treasures,  which  from  time 
to  time  have  been  brought  to  light,  were,  as  a  rule, 
nothing  more  than  common  objects  of  household  and 
domestic  use. 

I  contend  that  there  was  in  the  workmen  of  past 
days,  an  innate  feeling  for  beauty,  a  skill  of  eye  and 
hand,  and  an  education  of  mind  in  the  rendering  of 
everything  that  they  set  their  hands  to,  which,  alas !  is 
utterly  wanting  in  the  great  majority  of  ordinary  work- 
men of  the  present  day.  We  pride  ourselves  on  a 
higher  state  of  civilisation,  a  greater  freedom  of  life, 
and  surround  all  classes  of  the  community  with  pro- 
tecting laws  and  a  high  educational  system.  We  have 
before  us  thousands  of  the  most  beautiful  examples  of 
the  best  periods  of  art  work  of  all  kinds  ;  this  age  of 
steam  and  luxury  is  constantly  bringing  before  us  the 
best  works  of  all  the  countries  of  the  world,  and  offer- 
ing encouragement  in  every  possible  manner  for  the 
production  of  high  artistic  objects  for  every-day  use, 

T 


274 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


and  with  what  result  ?  With  all  our  advantages,  all 
our  opportunities,  all  our  wealth,  and  all  our  education, 
we  are  living,  to  a  great  extent,  in  the  absolute  lowest 
depths  of  ignorance  in  most  matters  of  art,  so  far  as 
beauty  of  form  and  power  of  design  or  even  of  adapta- 
tion are  concerned,  in  the  commonest  objects  of  daily 
life. 

It  is  quite  true  that  in  these  last  few  years  there 
has  been  great  progress  made  in  many  trades  cognate 
to  art,  in  the  so-called  industrial  arts  of  the  country, 
but  it  is  at  present  but  a  feeble  glimmering  of  that  far- 
off  light  of  love  and  truth  for  art's  sake,  which  I  hope 
may  some  time  shine  forth  as  strong  in  all  works  of 
handicraft  and  artistic  skill  of  the  present  day,  as  it  did 
in  the  centuries  that  are  past. 

To  my  mind,  the  influence  of  trades-unionism  is 
asserting  itself  in  a  large  degree  to  the  detriment  of 
English  work,  and  to  keeping  up  extravagant  prices 
for  ordinary  articles  of  domestic  use  ;  it  is  simply 
absurd  that  all  the  various  kinds  of  so-called  art  work, 
whether  in  decoration,  furniture,  or  other  work, 
should  be  paid  for  at  a  set  price,  no  matter  what 
difference  there  may  be  in  the  skill  and  quickness  of 
the  workman  employed,  and  that  work  should  be 
paid  for  to  all  men  in  like  proportion,  whether  well  or 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


275 


badly  done.  We  have  only  to  look  at  the  various  art 
work  imported  into  England  to  see  that  it  holds  its 
own  with,  and  often  surpasses,  the  work  of  British 
manufacturers,  and,  withal,  is  much  more  artistic  and 
much  less  expensive.  Nowadays  it  would  seem 
that  the  grand  old  saying,  *  Whatsoever  thy  hand 
flndeth  thee  to  do,  do  it  with  all  thy  might,'  is  changed 
into  '  Whatsoever  thy  hand  is  paid  for  doing,  do  it  as 
slowly  as  it  is  permitted,  and  have  no  care  to  the 
might  or  the  skill  to  be  displayed.'  As  far  as  I  read  it, 
trades-unionism,  by  reducing  all  men  to  a  great  extent 
to  one  level,  and  by  controlling  to  a  great  degree  the 
amount  and  quality  of  the  work  to  be  done,  is  degrad- 
ing and  demoralising  to  the  true  workman.  Competi- 
tion in  the  world  will  and  must,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
increase,  and,  if  he  look  not  well  to  it,  the  British  work- 
man, unless  he  learns  to  think  and  act  for  himself,  and 
to  throw  off  the  burden  and  tyranny  of  trades-unionism, 
will  find  himself  beaten  in  the  race.  Let  men  be  paid 
according  to  their  skill  and  power  of  work,  and  they 
may  be  quite  assured  that  all  masters  will  gladly  pay 
well  and  liberally  for  high  skill  of  handicraft  and 
honesty  of  labour,  while  the  inferior  men  will  naturally 
find  the  level,  to  which  inferiority,  whether  in  labour 
or  material,  naturally  tends  ;  then  might  we  hope  for 

t  2 


276 


that  fraternity  and  fellowship  of  interest  and  labour 
which  gave,  as  Mr.  Ruskin  says,  to  our  old  buildings 
that  '  distinct  and  indisputable  glory,  that  these  mighty 
walls  were  never  raised,  and  never  shall  be,  but  by 
men  who  love  and  aid  each  other  in  their  weakness  ; 
that  all  their  interlacing  strength  of  vaulted  stone 
has  its  foundations  upon  the  stronger  arches  of  manly 
fellowship,  and  all  the  changing  grace  of  depressed  or 
lifted  pinnacle  owes  its  cadence  and  completeness  to 
sweeter  symmetries  of  human  soul.' 

I  do  not  think  that  the  general  public  is  so  want- 
ing in  common-sense  as  not  to  know  that  good  engrav- 
ing, or  indeed  any  kind  of  ornamentation  of  silver  or 
other  metal  work,  can  be  obtained  without  much  cost 
of  time  and  labour,  and  therefore  must  be  paid  for  ; 
but  why  cannot  we  have  in  the  ordinary  tea  and  coffee 
services,  and  the  general  articles  of  table  use,  whether 
in  silver  or  electro-plate,  or  in  bronze  ornaments,  brass 
and  iron  doorplates,  bell  handles,  gaseliers,  candelabra, 
sconces,  and  other  work  of  the  kind,  good  form  and 
general  artistic  character,  instead  of  the  commonplace 
and  trumpery  cast  and  wrought  work  of  grotesque  and 
tigflv  form  which  is  now  offered  to  us  ? 

In  Plate  XX,  I  submit  a  sketch  of  an  interior  of 
c.  small  hall,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  effect  of 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


277 


simple  wrought  ironwork  in  grilles  for  doors,  in  lieu 
of  the  objectionable  lift-up  shutters,  and  various  de- 
signs for  iron  and  brass  work  required  for  ordinary 
houses.  The  hanging  lamp,  from  a  design  by  Mr. 
Callcutt,  is  exceedingly  graceful  and  common-sense  in 
form,  and,  to  my  mind,  infinitely  more  appropriate  for 
a  hall  or  staircase,  than  the  usual  telescopic  fittings  in 
general  use  ;  it  can  be  made  in  wrought  iron,  filled  in 
with  leaded  glass,  for  a  few  pounds,  or  even  in  polished 
brass  for  the  price  of  an  ordinary  hall.  lamp.  There 
are  many  other  manufacturers,  who,  like  Messrs. 
Elsley  and  Messrs.  Longden,  have  set  themselves  to 
work  out  the  problem  of  providing  articles  of  every- 
day use,  in  iron  and  brass,  of  good  artistic  design  and 
shape,  and  of  moderate  cost,  so  that  there  need  be  no 
reason  why  the  simplest  piece  of  door  or  window  fur- 
niture, or  ordinary  grates,  fenders,  lamps,  fire-irons, 
sconces  or  bell-pulls,  should  be  bad  and  vulgar  in  form 
as  well  as  inferior  in  workmanship. 

In  silver  and  electro-plated  work  the  elegance  and 
simplicity  of  seme  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
century  examples  might  well  be  copied,  at  no  greater 
cost  to  the  manufacturer  than  the  grotesque  shapes, 
and  badly  executed  and  designed  chasing  and  engrav- 
ing now  produced, 


278 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


By  the  courtesy  of  Messrs.  Widdowson  and  Veale, 
I  am  enabled  to  give  an  illustration  (Plate  XXVIII.) 
of  various  articles  of  silver  of  the  period  of  George  II., 
dating  from  1730  to  1760.  These  well-known  silver- 
smiths have  done  their  best  to  adapt,  as  far  as  practic- 
able, old  designs  of  good  artistic  character  to  modern 
plate,  and  their  reproductions  and  adaptations  are  not 
only  therefore  of  great  artistic  merit,  but  free  from  the 
inferior  chasing  and  engraving  which  disfigure  so 
much  of  the  silver  and  electro-plate  of  the  present  day. 
It  is  gratifying  to  find  that,  considering  how  lament- 
ably the  art  of  the  gold  and  silversmith  has  deterior- 
ated in  the  last  hundred  years,  there  is  evinced  amongst 
good  silversmiths  a  desire  to  adapt  really  good  ancient 
forms  to  modern  work. 

Instead  of  the  so-called  mediaeval  'coronse,'  and 
elaborate  wrought  and  twisted  brass  and  bronze  gase- 
liers and  brackets,  utterly  out  of  place  in  almost  every 
house  or  room,  and,  generally,  extravagantly  expensive, 
why  cannot  we  have  the  simpler  forms  of  the  later 
Jacobean  days,  in  which  use  and  suitability  were  the 
prominent  features  of  the  design  ? 

Brass-work  gets  dull,  and  iron  and  bronze  rusts 
or  corrodes  in  town  atmospheres,  where  impure  gas 
and  bad  coal  are  so  largely  used.    The  simplest  forms, 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


279 


therefore,  will  be  found  most  serviceable  and  satisfac- 
tory, and  it  is  better  to  have  the  plainest  objects  which 
are  good  in  outline,  and  fitted  for  the  purpose,  than 
the  elaborate  forms  twisted  and  curled  into  all  manner 
of  curious  shapes,  which  may  be  called  '  mediaeval '  or 
1  Queen  Anne.'  Good  brass  repoussd  sconces,  fitted  for 
gas  or  candles,  can  be  now  procured  at  moderate  cost, 
and  can  be  kept  clean  much  more  easily  than  the  many- 
twisted  and  scrolled  brackets  which  are  generally  used. 
Good  wrought-iron  work  may  be  used  for  brackets, 
if  left  from  the  hands  of  the  smith,  and  merely  kept 
oiled  ;  or  some  of  the  simpler  sconces  and  candelabras, 
which  can  be  fitted  for  gas,  now  made  by  Messrs. 
Powell  and  Sons  and  the  Murano  Glass  Co.,  and  these 
have  the  advantage  generally  of  being  graceful  and 
artistic  in  form  and  colouring,  and  can  easily  be  washed 
and  cleaned.  In  all  these  kinds  of  artistic  articles  of 
domestic  use,  which  are  necessary  in  every  house, 
choose  those  which  are  simple  in  outline  and  free  from 
useless  and  expensive  scrollwork  or  engraving  of  bad 
conventional  or  naturalistic  form.  The  plainer  all  the 
service  of  the  table  and  the  generally  useful  fittings 
of  a  house  are,  the  better  will  they  be  in  taste,  more 
easily  cleaned,  and  much  more  lasting  than  those  in 
which  elaborate  ornamentation,  whether  in  mouldings, 


28o 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


stuck-on  ornaments,  or  elaborate  engravings  are  piled 
up  for  show,  not  for  use.  Do  not  have  on  your  tables 
dpergnes  representing  palm-trees  with  a  camel  grazing 
or  a  knight  in  armour  sheltering  beneath  them,  or  metal- 
work  of  any  kind  made  after  the  form  of  baskets,  barrels, 
or  other  equally  incongruous  design. 

If  you  will  examine  any  of  the  bronze  or  brasswork 
of  past  times,  you  will  find  that  the  forms  are  good  in 
outline,  the  ornament  exceedingly  delicate  in  treatment, 
forming  part  of  the  design,  and  not  elaborately  con- 
structed and  laid  on,  quite  regardless  of  the  construc- 
tion; and  while  many  pieces  are  elaborately  adorned 
with  beautifully  modelled  figure  or  other  enrichment, 
there  is  always  great  grace  and  beauty  of  form, 
and  eminent  truth  of  construction ;  and  I  confess  I 
see  no  good  reason  why  we  should  not  have  an 
equally  good  character  of  work  in  all  ordinary  objects 
and  articles  of  domestic  use  and  furniture  nowa- 
days ;  nor  why,  if  manufacturers  are  asked  to  carry 
out  the  design  of  an  artist  in  which  there  is  no  more, 
and  possibly  not  so  much,  work  as  in  a  similar 
piece  of  work  out  of  their  own  stock,  they  should 
immediately  put  an  enormous  percentage  on  the  cost, 
except  that  they,  by  this,  admit  that  they  are  employ- 
ing machines,  and  not  artists,  and  that  they  will  not 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES.  28 r 

in  any  way  strive  to  leave  their  ordinary  groove  or 
to  make  themselves  acquainted  with  work  of  the  best 
periods  of  art,  so  that  they  may  direct  their  workmen 
in  the  right  principles  of  artistic  design  and  execution. 

In  concluding  this  series  of  lectures,  I  would  again 
insist  upon  the  fact  that  all  true  art  should  be  the 
practical  rendering,  in  good  taste  and  in  pleasant  guise, 
of  all  the  absolute  necessities  and  requirements  of 
modern  life,  and  that  all  domestic  art  is  false  and  bad 
which  ignores  the  purposes  for  which  the  furniture, 
decoration,  or  general  belongings  of  a  house  are  to 
be  put. 

First  of  all,  it  is  necessary  that  use  and  fitness 
should  be  the  special  attributes  of  the  general  furni- 
ture of  our  houses  ;  but  I  hold  that  there  is  no  necessity 
that  practical  common-sense  in  the  requirements  of  our 
houses  should  in  any  way  interfere  with  good  artistic 
treatment,  and  that  everything  may  be,  and  should 
be,  truthful  and  beautiful  in  design,  form,  and  colouring. 

If,  however,  we  start  from  the  false  idea  that  art 
means  quaintness,  eccentricity,  and  the  elaboration  of 
curious  forms  or  extraordinary  colours,  and  that  great 
elaboration  and  cost  are  its  necessary  adjuncts,  we  shall 
never  really  progress ;  we  may  assist  in  bringing  in  a 


282 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


fashion  which  shall  die  as  all  fashions  do,  and  be  as 
fickle  and  as  fleeting  as  all  fancies  of  an  hour,  founded 
only  on  idle  thought  or  caprice  ;  but  we  shall  never 
attain  to  that  higher  education  or  knowledge  which  in- 
tuitively brings  with  it  an  innate  love  for  things  beauti- 
ful and  true,  and  which  deprecates  at  once  anything 
that  is  vulgar  or  commonplace. 

If  we  are  content  to  accept  only  as  a  fashion  of 
the  day  the  more  artistic  rendering  of  our  rooms  and, 
without  consideration,  to  follow  indiscriminately  in  the 
routine  style  of  decoration  and  furniture  which  may 
for  the  moment  prevail,  we  shall  in  no  way  have  any 
real  pleasure  or  delight  in  the  work  that  is  done,  but 
shall  live  rather  in  dread  of  the  time  when  a  new  style., 
a  new  fancy  and  fashion,  shall  be  brought  in,  and  when 
we  shall  have  to  follow,  like  sheep,  the  new  order  of 
the  day. 

I  do  not  believe  that  things  beautiful  and  artistic 
need  necessarily  be  costly,  although  I,  of  course,  admit 
that  all  works  which  require  a  great  amount  of  skill 
and  time  in  their  production  must  of  necessity  demand 
a  proportionate  amount  of  payment  for  the  time  and 
labour  involved  ;  and  I  should  as  soon  seek  to  do 
away  with  the  production  of  the  more  elaborate  works 
of  art  in  the  present  day,  some  of  which  may  indeed 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


283 


be  the  work  of  years,  as  I  should  ask  for  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  exquisite  examples  of  ancient  art,  of  great 
elaboration  and  costliness  of  design  ;  but  all  these  are 
to  a  great  extent  luxuries,  and  not  necessities,  and  will 
in  all  time  be  produced  to  satisfy  the  requirements  and 
the  higher  artistic  culture  of  those  who  delight  in  sur- 
rounding themselves  with  articles  of  luxury,  and  of  the 
highest  beauty  in  art.  I  have,  in  the  lectures  I  have 
given,  attempted  rather  to  dwell  upon  the  practicability 
of  having  good  art  in  every-day  life  and  in  every-day 
things,  and  to  point  out,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  the 
means  by  which  this  may  be  obtained  at  a  moderate 
cost,  rather  than  to  enter  upon  the  subject  from  any 
point  of  view  in  which  money  is  no  object. 

I  have  not  pretended,  nor  do  I  pretend,  that  all  my 
views  are  correct;  we  are  all  students,  and  with  the 
true  artist  and  real  student  our  study  ends  only  with 
our  life.  I  have  endeavoured  to  point  out,  in,  I  hope, 
a  practical  and  common-sense  manner,  how  your  homes 
may  be  made  more  cheerful,  more  beautiful,  and  more 
artistic,  at  moderate  cost.  And  I  shall  be  satisfied  if 
I  have  set  any  one  of  you  thinking  more  earnestly,  and 
more  seriously,  on  the  subjects  I  have  dwelt  upon  ; 
and  if  any  words  of  mine  shall  have  been  of  practical 
use,  or  good,  to  those  who  have  patiently  followed  me 


284 


DECORATION  AND  FURNITURE 


in  my  arguments  and  remarks,  or  if  I  shall  have  in- 
fluenced you,  by  all  the  means  in  your  power,  manfully 
to  set  your  faces  against  all  pretensions,  shams,  and 
conceits,  which  are  the  curse  of  good  art  of  every 
kind. 

The  art  of  our  houses  should  speak  the  language  of 
our  own  day,  and  not  be  a  reproduction  or  imitation 
of  the  art,  no  matter  how  beautiful,  of  other  days,  in 
which  the  conditions  of  life  were  totally  different ;  but 
even  as,  by  study  of  all  that  is  purest  and  best  in  past 
literature,  we  learn  to  speak  and  write  well  our  own 
language  and  thoughts,  so  assuredly  should  we  study 
the  art-work  of  past  ages,  not  as  work  to  be  cruelly 
travestied  or  slavishly  copied  in  our  own  day,  but  as  a 
means  of  imbuing  us  with  a  knowledge  of  all  that  is 
graceful  and  beautiful  in  art,  whether  in  architecture, 
painting,  or  sculpture,  or  of  those  offshoots  which  are 
called  '  industrial  arts.'  To  some  few  of  you,  the 
sense  of  correctness  of  form,  and  truth,  and  harmony 
of  outline  or  colouring  comes  naturally,  as  the  musical 
words  and  rhythms  flow  from  the  brain  of  the  poet; 
but  with  most  of  us  this  can  only  be  attained  by  serious 
study  and  observation,  and  hence,  to  a  great  extent, 
from  this  want  of  knowledge  in  ourselves,  wTe  are  con- 
tent to  accept  the  interested  babble  of  false  teachers  as 


OF  TOWN  HOUSES. 


285 


the  truthful  outcome  of  that  knowledge  which  we  our- 
selves do  not  possess. 

Let  us,  then,  by  all  means  in  our  power,  seek  to 
foster  and  encourage  a  better  taste  and  a  more  truth- 
ful treatment  in  the  art-work  of  our  homes,  to  avoid 
shams  and  pretentious  conceits,  seeking  rather  for 
things  substantial,  useful,  and  refined,  than  for  those 
splendid  and  luxurious  ;  and  for  simplicity,  comfort, 
and  suitability,  rather  than  pretentiousness,  show,  and 
elaboration  in  everything  about  us  ;  so  that  with  better 
and  more  educated  taste,  combined  with  truth  and 
beauty  of  design  and  construction  of  the  work  we  have 
around  us,  we  may  live  in  a  more  healthy  atmosphere 
of  art  in  domestic  life  ;  and,  by  the  influence  exercised 
by  the  demand  created  for  higher  artistic  excellence 
in  all  trades  cognate  to  art,  be  able  to  surround  our- 
selves in  our  homes  with  the  grace  and  preciousness  of 
beauty  and  refinement. 


INDEX. 


ADA 

^^DAMS'  ceilings,  treatment  of, 

Alteration  of  existing  fireplaces, 
132 

Anomalies,  curious,  169 
Architects'  work  in  design,  55 
Architectural  faience,  56 
Arm-chair,  Morris  &  Co.,  28 
Arrangement   of  modern  houses, 
141 

Arrowsmith  &  Co.,  parquet  work, 
5o 

Art,  modern  teachers  of,  12 

—  decoration  in  Pompeii,  74 
 modern,  79 

Artistic  stencil  work,  175 
 cost  of,  176 

—  treatment  of  paving,  42 

—  decoration,  external,  5 1 

—  furniture,  92,  103 

—  grates  and  fireplaces,  130 

—  treatment  of  walls    in  Eliza- 
bethan age,  59 

—  tiles,  64 

—  paper  hangings,  »6o,  66,  159, 
207 

—  treatment  of  friezes,  84 

 of  dining-rooms,  171 

 drawing-rooms,  199 

Atkinson,  Beavington,  on  art,  106 


CAR 

I  "DALIN,  M.,  papers  of,  206 
I  Barnard  &  Co.,  grates,  130 

Basket  grates,  132 

Bed-room  chair,   Morris   &  Co., 
29 

—  furniture,  220 

1  —  hangings,  221 
j  —  mantelpieces,  237 

—  recesses,  furniture  in,  116 

—  treatment  of  walls,  218,  222 
 of  floors,  220 

\  —  ventilation  of,  226 
Bell-pulls,  270 

Birdwood,  Dr.,  on  Indian  art,  10 

 on  Indian  pottery,  256 

Birmingham  work,  269 
Boudoir,  treatment  of,  205 
Buffet,  Morris  &  Co.,  112 

—  Jackson  &  Graham,  114 

—  specially  designed,  115 
Buffets,  extravagance  in  modern 

design  of,  1 1 1 
Builders,  speculative  work  of,  54 
Burke  &  Co.,  mosaic  work,  46 
4  Burmantofts  ''faience,  56 

/"^ABINET,  drawing-room,  104 
^  Canopies  overbeds  bad,  221 
Carpet  parquet,  50 


288 


CEI 

Ceilings,  treatment  of,  71,  150 
Cements,  inlaid,  43 
Chairs,  various,  109 

—  cheap,  28 

Children,  influence  of  good  art  on, 
229 

—  rooms,  decoration  of,  226 

—  surroundings  of,  231 
Chippendale,  influence  of  his  de- 
signs, 31 

—  furniture,  modern,  102 

 examples  of,  100 

Choosing  papers,  care  in,  178 
Colour  in  street  fronts,  52 

—  for  ceilings,  1 50 

—  for  walls,  148,  159 

Common  sense,  want  of,  in  modern 

decoration,  105 
Contrasts  of  colours,  187 
Cost  of  paint,  paper,  and  distemper 

H3 

Crane,   Walter,   design   for  wall 

paper,  66,  178,  229 
Curtain  poles,  188 
Curtains,  cheap  stuffs  for,  179 


•p\ADOS,  139 

—  use  of  malting  for,  222 

Day  nurseries,  227 
Decoration,  influence  of,  2 

—  of  door-panels,  165 

—  distemper,  cost  of,  1 50 

—  floor,  wall,  and  ceiling,  40 
Design  in   paper  hangings,  bad, 

223 

Dilapidations,  clauses  of  modern 

leases,  91 
Dining-room  buffet,  183 

—  carpets,  186 


ELE 

Dining-room  chair,  18  [ 

—  colour  of  walls,  171 
 cost  of,  103 

—  division  of  wall  space,  171 

—  furniture,  18 1 

—  illustration  of,  172 

—  paper,  cost  of,  177 

—  table,  182 

—  treatment  of  walls,  176 
—  woodwork,  173 

—  wall  hangings  in,  to  be  avoided, 
170 

Division  of  wall  spaces,  139 
Domestic  use,  articles  of,  239 
Doulton   &   Co.,  Lambeth  ware, 
251 

!  examples  of,  253 

Drawing-room,  treatment  of,  192 

—  arrangement  of  furniture,  213 

—  corner,  illustration  of,  :-oo 

—  examples  of   decorative  treat- 
ment of,  202 

—  furniture,  213 

—  lamps,  212 

—  trumpery  furniture   in,  to  be 
avoided,  193 

 should  be  homelike,  194 

 papers,  200 

 not  to  be  museums,  215 

 careful  and  harmonious  ar- 
rangement of  furniture  and  or- 
naments, 216 
Dutch  stove,  illustration  of  old,  249 

T7ASTLAKE,  C.  L.,  on  house. 

hold  taste,  24 
Eccentricity  in  decoration  to  be 

avoided,  197 
Electro-plate,  268 


INDEX. 


289 


ELS 

Elsley  &  Co.,  examples  of  ironwork, 
269 

—  ironwork  in  halls,  276 
Embossed  leather,  imitation  of,  207 
Embroidery,  art  of,  258 
Enamel  painting  for  wood-work, 

146 

English  glass,  265 

—  papers,     difference  between 
French  and,  143 

Entrance-hall,  treatment  of,  138 

 colour  of  walls,  148 

 furniture,  1 56 

 division  of  wall  space,  149 

 mantelpiece  in,  1 54 

 treatment  of  frieze  in,  149 

 of  walls,  151 

 of  floors,  155 

 use  of  marble  mosaic  slabs 

in,  152 

 screen  between,  and  inner 

hall,  1 53 

 portieres   objectionable  in, 

157 

 settle  for,  by  Morris  &  Co., 

illustration  of,  157 
External  decoration,  5 1 

—  painting  of  walls,  53 

—  decorative  treatment  of  ancient 
work,  54 

—  use  of faience  in,  57 

 fresco  work  not  suitable  for,  58 

 causes  of  general  dinginess 

of,  58 

Extravagance  in   decoration,  un- 
necessary, 16 


ASH  I  ON,  false,  in  art,  13 
—  change  of,  in  furniture,  30 


GLA 

Fenders,  general  badness  of,  133 

—  designed  by  Bodley,  132 

—  illustration  of,  133,  277 

—  marble  and  stone,  1 34 
Figure  decoration,  76 

—  subjects  for,  81 

—  value  of,  in  all  decoration,  82 
Fire  irons,  135 

Fitness  and  truth  essential  ele- 
ments in  good  art,  25 
Fitted  furniture,  use  of,  92 
Flatting  coats  in  painting,  172 
Flaxman,  designs  of,  243 
Flock-papers,  68,  151 

—  for  ceiling  decoration,  68 

—  not  fit  for  wall  surface,  60 
Floors,  treatment  of,  49,  220 
Flower  boxes,  268 
Friezes,  decoration  of,  85 
Furniture,  Lecture  III.,  88 

—  ancient,  33 

—  planned,  92 

—  decline  of  design  in  old,  95 

—  M.  Jacquemart  on,  98 

—  Chippendale,  101 

—  for  general  use,  107 

(~*AS,  modern,  158 

—  destructive  qualities  of, 

151 

—  piping  for  curtain  rods,  188 
General  articles  of  domestic  use, 

239 

Gillow  &  Co.,  furniture,  89 

—  example  of  modern  hall,  167 

—  Princess  of  Wales  boudoir,  217 
Glass,  jewelled  for  screens,  1 53 
 cost  of,  153 

—  modern,  261 


290 


INDEX. 


GLA 

Glass,  false  use  of,  262 

—  hanging  lamps,  279 

—  ancient,  261 

—  Messrs.  Powel  &  Sons,  264 

—  Murano  Glass  Co.,  264 

—  English,  265 

—  blinds  for  windows,  267 
Gold  in  papers  bad,  68 
Gothic,  sham,  furniture,  27 
Grates,  modern,  129 

—  old  Sussex,  133 

—  treatment  of,  132 

—  slow  combustion,  130 

—  Longden  &  Co.,  131 
Grilles,  iron,  for  doors,  277 


T  T  ALL,  pavement,  44 
—  lamp,  161,  277 

—  treatment  of,  148 

Hanging  cabinet,  illustration  of, 
214 

—  lamps,  186 

—  closets,  116 

—  cupboards,  215 

Health,  influence  of  good  decora- 
tion on,  222 

Hepplewhite,  furniture,  102 

History  of  porcelain,  247 

Holland  &  Sons,  furniture  after 
Chippendale,  100 

—  bed-room  furniture,  220 
Homelike  feeling  in  rooms,  194 
Howard  &  Co.,  carpet  parquet, 

5o 

—  wood  tapestry,  65 


T  MIT  ATI  ON  of  other  materials, 
A    bad,  21 


LEC 

Incising  floors,  42 
Indian  art,  causes  of  present  de- 
cline, 10 

 modern  imitation  of,  1 1 

Introductory,  Lecture  I.,  1 


JACKSON  &  CO.,  canvas-plaster, 
74 

Jackson  &  Graham,  furniture,  89 

 drawing-room  furniture,  103 

 side-board,  115 

Jacobean  hall,  illustration  of,  166 
Jacquemart,  M.,  on  furniture,  32, 
98 

Japanese  art,  influence  of,  162 
—  lacquer  panels,  use  of,  184 
Jeffrey  &  Co.,  paper  hangings,  66, 
177 

Jones,  the  late  Owen,  on  art,  21, 
70 


T  ACQUER  panels,  use  of,  123 
"L#    —  painting,  146 
Ladies5  work  in  decoration,  257 
Lavatories,  118 

Leasehold  tenure  unsatisfactory, 
9i 

Lecture  I.,  Introductory,  i 

—  II.,  Floor,  Wall,  and  Ceil- 
ing Decoration,  40 

—  III.,  Furniture,  88 

—  IV.,  The  Entrance-hall, 
Staircase,  and  Library,  138 

—  V.,  Drawing-room,  Boudoir, 
Bedrooms,  Nurseries,  and 
Offices,  192 

—  VI.,  General  Articles  of 
Domestic  Use,  239 


INDEX.  291 


LIB 

Library,  treatment  of,  188 

—  mantelpieces,  190 
Lifts,  114 

Lining  papers,  144 
Linoleum,  42 

Longden  &  Co.,  cheap  mantel-piece, 
127 

—  hall  lamp,  161 

—  dry  grates,  132 

TV/T  ALIN'S  design  for  tiles,  65 
Mantelpieces,  119 

—  dining-room,  122 

—  drawing-room,  123 

—  library,  124 

—  cost  of,  125 

—  for  bed  and  dressing-rooms,  1 26 

—  boards,  bad,  128 
Marble  fenders,  134 

—  mosaic  tiles,  47,  152 
Margins  of  floors   painted  and 

stained,  145 
Marks,  H.  S.,  R.A.,   design  for 

frieze,  84 
Minton  &  Co.,  tiles,  154 
Modern  rooms,  want  of  taste  in,  17 

—  grates  bad,  129 

Moral  influence  of  the  dwelling,  22 
Morris  &  Co.,  buffet,  113 

—  cheap  chairs,  28 

—  hall  settle,  1 56 
Muralis,  63 

Murano  Glass  Co.,  examples  of 

glass,  264 
Music-room,  treatment  of,  208 

XTOVELTY,  craving  after,  195 
^     Nurseries,  treatment  of,  226 
Nursery  walls,  227 


RUS 

/^VRIENTAL  art,  study  of,  7 

—  rugs  for  floors,  30 
Ottomans  in  windows,  234 


pAINTED  tiles,  129 
Paper  hangings,  66 

—  English  and  French,  143 
Paris  Exhibition,  Indian  Section, 

10 

—  examples     of    decoration  in 
rooms,  211 

—  Prince  of  Wales  Pavilion,  211 
Parquet  floors,  50 

Picture  rods,  171 
Pitch  pine  for  furniture,  26 
Pompeiian   decoration,  imitation 
of,  13 

—  houses,  75 

—  wall  decoration,  210 
Portieres  objectionable,  157 
Potter,  the  work  of  the,  246 
Pottery,  modern,  250 

—  in  late  Paris  Exhibition,  251 

—  Doulton  &  Co.,  252 

Powell  &  Sons,  modern  glass,  264 
Professional  men,  buffets  for,  114 


QUARTERLY   REVIEW  on 
art,  14 

Queen  Anne  architecture,  influence 
of,  14 


TD  ECEPTACLES  for  dust,  to  be 

avoided,  117 
Recesses  in  rooms,  treatment  of, 
233 

Rushbottom  chairs,  181 


292 


INDEX. 


SCH 

SCHOOL  for  art  decoration,  83 
Sconces,  use  of,  212 
Servants5  rooms,  231 
Serving  hatches,  1 14 
Shelf  cluster  for  china,  128 
Sheraton's  furniture,  102 
Sideboard,  modern,  no 
Silicate  paints,  147 
Silver,  modern,  277 

—  examples  of,  278 

Slow  combustion  grates,  130 
Society  of  arts,  teaching  of,  5 
Solon  ware,  255 

South    Kensington,  Government 
School  of  Design,  3 

—  bad  teaching  of,  6 

—  colour  in  refreshment-rooms, 

208 

Spiers,  Miss,  painted  china,  255 
Staircase,  treatment  of,  1 58 
Stencil  decoration,  174 

 cost  of,  144 

Sussex  grates,  cast-iron  backs  to, 
133 


'"PABLE,  dining-room,  108 

—  glass,  262 
Tapestry  hangings,  59 
'  Tarsia  de  marbre,'  43 
Terra-cotta  for  external  use,  58 
Tile  pavements,  45 
Tiles,  illustration  of,  1 54 
—  ladies'  work    in   painting  on, 
253 


wov 

'  Times,'  the,  on  change  of  fashion 

in  art,  136 
Tobacco  and    cigars,  cupboards 

for,  124 

Tops  of  modern  cupboards,  places 

for  dust,  117 
Trades-unionism,  bad  influence  of, 

275 

Trollope  &  Sons,  furniture,  89 
Trumpery  ornaments,  193 
Truth  essential   in  good  design, 
20 

Turpentine,  use  of,  147 


yARNISHING  woodwork,  152 
Velvet    curtains    for  fire- 
places, 129 
Venetian  glass,  261 
—  examples  of,  264 
Ventilation  of  bed-rooms,  226 


AITALL  panelling,  62 

Wedgwood  &  Co.,  china, 

243 

—  examples  of,  244 
Widdowson  &  Veale,  silver  work, 

278 

Window  blinds,  267 

—  seats,  use  of,  116 
Wood  floors,  borders,  48 
Workmen  of  past  days,  273 

—  modern,  275 

Woven  fabrics,  imitation  of,  206 


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